


I Need Your Voice (To Cross These Lands of Ice)

by fallsintograce



Series: Under This Painted Ocean [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Happy Ending, Human Victor Nikiforov, M/M, Merfolk Katsuki family, Merfolk Nishigori family, Mermaid Minako, Mermaids, Merman Katsuki Yuuri, Mythology - Freeform, Mythology References, References to Depression, Slow Burn, The M rating is going to kick in further down the line, The ocean is our friend, some suicidal attempts early on, some talk of suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-01-07 06:50:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12227775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallsintograce/pseuds/fallsintograce
Summary: Ten years ago, Victor Nikiforov was on the top of world but felt like he was hitting the bottom of it. It was becoming too much so he took a plunge in the ocean. If it weren't for an angel under those cold waters, he probably would have been dead. All he remembers about his angel were a pair of warm brown eyes and a voice letting him know that he would be fine. That it wasn't his time to go. Since then, Victor's gone back to the ocean every year in hopes of seeing his angel once more. He's made a promise to find that angel once more...even if he has to search every end of the ocean to fulfill it.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? I like mermaids XD. There will be some talk of depression and suicide in this (Though I don't think anything will get graphic in here. If it does, you will get a warning ahead of time). There will be other pairings though most of them will be implied and won't be the main focus of this. You will see what I mean when we get further down the line.
> 
> This is currently un-betaed and the love of my life is currently dragging me away to do some errands in town. I wanted to get this up before I left. If I missed anything, I will fix it when I get a chance soon.

Ten years ago, Victor Nikiforov should have died. 

Perhaps that sounded morbid but it was true. With the way he had been feeling, he didn't know how he was still alive. It wasn't that he had nothing to do. He had people who cared about him and looked after him. He loved to skate on the ice and he knew he was good at it. He was creative and willing to change himself every season. However, that was only when it came to figure skating. Changing programs was easy. Changing his mood was much harder. He didn't know much about his real family so the only people he trusted were those who spoke to him on the ice.

Victor was supposed to be happy. He was loved by a lot of people but he wasn't sure if anyone actually liked him. They probably liked his skating, of course. He didn't hate the fans at all. If anything, they kept him sane from time to time. He loved signing autographs and taking pictures with them. However, none of these fans knew what he was feeling down below. They had no idea what was going on inside. He lied to the public all the time. He would smile at them and tell them he was excited. He told them he loved skating. That bit was true but a spark was missing in his life. Everything felt formulaic all of a sudden. He'd go out on the ice, skate his program, win the competition, answer questions, and that was it. He would tell everyone the same thing after he was done. Those were the safest answers he had.

_I'm excited for the next season. I look forward to it._

Oh, those were lies. They were the lies that everyone else believed. He wanted to be happy but that one thing was still missing. He tried to get some comfort from his dog, Makkachin. She was a great companion and always seemed to know when he was feeling down. She knew when to approach him and lay by his side so he could pet her. He could rely on her whenever he needed something to hold onto. However, Makkachin was still a dog. She could listen to him but she couldn't give him advice. She couldn't tell him what he needed the most. He could hug her and things would be fine for a while. Afterwards, the feelings would return. 

They weren't the only ones who couldn't figure it out. His coach seemed exited about the upcoming skating seasons. Yakov could be found talking to other people about how great Victor was. He was proud of Victor and he made sure that Victor knew it. He made sure everyone knew it. At press conferences, Yakov would be glowing and giving all his attention the reporters in front of him. They would be taking all their notes and firing questions in his direction. Yakov took it all in stride including the ones that could be seen as negative. 

For his part, Victor behaved well in front of the cameras. He would smile at everyone and answer questions to the best of his ability. On the outside, it looked like he was having a good time. He told them that he was looking forward to the next skating season and everything else in the future. Deep down, he was lost. He was missing something in his life. He didn't want to deal with press conferences anymore. All he wanted was to go home, curl up with Makkachin, eat chocolate, and maybe read a good book before going to bed. He was behind on his reading anyway. 

To pass whatever free time he had, Victor would read. His favorite books were fantasy ones because he could escape into a different world. He liked reading about the different places and people that lived in these worlds. One particular book was about mermaids and all the stories that were centered around them. The way this author wrote made him feel like they were real. They described these merfolk as beautiful creatures that humans couldn't see or touch. They lived so deep in the ocean that no one could find them. He knew very well that the ocean was vast and there were still parts of it that hadn't been discovered. 

This book was one of many that gave him some comfort. He only wished that he could transfer himself into these worlds. Right now, they looked like the place he wanted to live in. The battles in these books were nothing compared to fights he was having inside. If something got tense in the pages of the book, he could close it and put it away for another night. Sometimes, he would just stop reading it altogether. He couldn't shut off real life that way. 

Months would pass and he would keep winning. Yakov was still thrilled with his progress but Victor was missing something. 

He was on top of the world yet felt like he was pulling away from it. His entire life was surrounded by lights and noise. Everyone wanted to be him. Everyone wanted him. There were people out there who would have given their left arm to get a small piece of Victor's talent. They could see him on the outside yet no one knew what was going on inside. They had no idea that pieces of him were starting to break off. Pressure was falling down on him at a young age. He was a champion and the world had big expectations. It was too much. 

One night, he went down to the pier and looked at the waters below. He was in Japan for a competition and still had a few days before it started. He was the one most favored to win everything yet he didn't feel like a winner. He didn't want to do anything but stare down at the body of water before him. The waves didn't look so inviting like they did during the day. However, it was too much. He had enough and he was tired. He was tired of going through life and not getting much out of it. He didn't know how to swim very well and the water looked deep. It was dark and he had no idea if there was a bottom to it. 

He figured that if he didn't drown, the cold water would take care of him. It may not have been the best plan but it was the only one he had. He had no idea how to swim. He never had the time to learn. Still, if he did know, he didn't want to try and make his way to the surface. While he was scared, he didn't want to feel pain anymore. He didn't want to feel anything. Without a second thought, he closed his eyes and jumped.

The water was freezing and he wanted to sink deeper into it. He was only floating for about a minute when he felt something wrap around him. Was it seaweed? No, it couldn't be that. Seaweed didn't feel like someone's hands. That's what this was. He was being wrapped into a hug. Someone must have seen him jump in and followed to save him. He opened his eyes for a second, then closed them when he saw nothing but a blur. The dark waters were making it hard to look at anything. The arms were tight around him and he could feel them lifting him up. Someone was taking him to the surface. They didn't want him to die.

_It's not your time to go._

No one was saying that to him but he could feel those arms and body all over him. Who was it? The touch didn't feel familiar and he couldn't make out anything. All he knew was that angel was saving him. He never heard anyone jump or saw where they came from. When he was on that pier, it was empty. How could someone get here so fast? 

That was when he saw them. A pair of warm brown eyes were staring back at him. They didn't belong to any sea creature that he knew of. They were human. Still, that didn't make sense. He jumped into this water alone. He was so far down that no one could have gotten here. Who was this person? Why did they care that he had fallen into the ocean? Victor had a million questions in his mind yet the person was bringing him to the surface. 

_It's not your time to go._

He heard that sentence again. Who was speaking to him? He looked at brown eyes but the salt water was painful. He had to close his own eyes as this person, whoever it was, brought him out of the water. He took a big gulp of air and opened his eyes. He was staring at the sky. He was lying on the sand, soaked and cold, but still very much alive. His vision was blurry but he could still picture Brown Eyes in front of him. A hand reached out and stroked his face. Tired as he was, he wanted to thank this person.

Then there was a bark and Brown Eyes had disappeared. He vanished into the night and Victor felt too weak to go after him. Before he could get up and call out to his savior, Makkachin appeared and licked his face. Once again, she seemed to know he was in danger. This was one of the few times that he had been allowed to bring Makkachin with him overseas and he was glad to see her. He was glad she was the one who found him before anyone else. She was pressing her wet nose against his salty face and her brown fur was covering his body. He was grateful to see his dog. With whatever strength he had, he pulled himself up and wrapped his arms around her. 

"Oh, Makkachin..." He whispered, looking out at the ocean. He had no idea where Brown Eyes had disappeared to. "That was close."

In the distance, he could hear someone calling out his name. Yakov had found him as well and was relieved to see that he was okay. He hugged him and demanded to know what had happened. Victor lied and told him that he had slipped into the water when he was walking. Since the rocks were slippery and it was hard to see where he was going at night, Yakov was able to buy that story. 

"I'm glad you are all right." Yakov pulled him into a hug. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. Be careful when you were walking out here next time! Go with someone else if you have to go out. Just don't walk alone, all right?"

Victor nodded, eyes still on the ocean. Brown Eyes was out there. There were no footprints in the sand besides the ones Makkachin and Yakov had left. For the most part, the sand was smooth. Where did Brown Eyes go? Did he disappear into the night air? No, that didn't make sense. He was thinking like this was one of his fantasy books. That would make sense if he was in a fantasy world but he wasn't. This was reality. 

Doctors checked him out shortly after and he was fine. He had gotten a cold but he would get over it. A little bit of medicine and rest would be enough. He would be back on the ice with a new love for it. Once again, Victor was on top of the world. He was happier now. Everyone saw the changes in his routines and wondered where he got his inspiration. People asked him about it but he didn't really have an answer. That night had changed him. It gave him a strength to keep moving forward and keep winning. He got over most of the obstacles in time. 

The one thing he was unable to get over was Brown Eyes. His angel was out there and he had to find him. The only clues he had were those eyes and the way this person's arms felt around his body. He wanted them to hold him forever. For the first time in his life, he felt safe. He felt like someone cared about him. 

From that day forward, no matter how far a beach was, Victor would go out to it and wait for Brown Eyes to show up again. They were out there. They were probably waiting for him to find them. He vowed that they would see each other once more. Even if he had to search every corner of the ocean, he would find them. 

He would see that brown-eyed ocean angel once again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into ten years later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all who commented, left kudos, etc. I promise I'm going to try and make these chapters long and worthwhile for you! This is going to be my contribution to the YOI anniversary. I wanted to do something new but I figured a new chapter would be better than nothing.
> 
> The hubs has a birthday today so I wanted to get this out before we do stuff. Any mistakes and all will be fixed soon. Just bear with me, guys. It's a little slow in the beginning.

Ten years later...

Victor couldn't stop dreaming of that brown-eyed angel. For the few years, all he could think about was his savior. He could picture jumping into the ocean and the cold feeling of that water around him. The more he thought about it, the more details he remembered. Brown Eyes looked human underneath that blue-green water from the waist up. Waist down, Victor couldn't see his savior's legs. Instead, he saw something green and scaly. He thought it was some giant fish underneath them but it was attached to Brown Eyes.

No, that didn't make sense. That couldn't make sense. He had been trying to drown so his mind wasn't in the right place. He had probably imagined the fact that Brown Eyes had a tail. If that was the case, then that would make Brown Eyes a merman and those weren't real. Mermen only existed in those books that he read. They were as real as sea monsters out there.

Regardless of what Brown Eyes, Victor knew one thing; he was real. He was still out there somewhere. Every ocean and sea reminded him of that night. He would look down in the water in hopes of seeing him again but there was nothing. It was just endless blue and green waves below. Even when he went back to Japan, he still didn't see Brown Eyes. Had he moved away? Did he live somewhere else? What kind of a family did he have and what did they do?

It was the Grand Prix Finals once more and they were being held in Japan again. It was the place where he had almost died and was reborn. Once again, they were close to the water and he could sense someone watching him whenever he stared at it. A part of him was excited because he was the favorite to win once again. The other part of him was hoping to have a run in with Brown Eyes. It had been too long and he was starting to have those dreams again. 

"Vitya, please..." Yakov would plead with him before he'd head down to the beach. "I know this is important to you but I think you should let it go. I'm grateful he saved you but maybe he doesn't want to be found. He just did a good deed."

"I don't know. There's something about him..." Victor trailed off when he looked at the ocean. "He's out there, Yakov. He's real."

"I believe you. I'm not saying that you're crazy for wanting to thank him. I'm just saying that he probably doesn't want to be found. He saved you because he wanted to. He doesn't want anything else from you." Yakov squeezed his shoulder. "I think it's time to stop searching for him. If he wants to be found, you will find him. Until then, just leave him alone."

It was so easy for Yakov to say that. He had no idea what had been going on in Victor's head. Victor did tell him a few things now and then but not what truly went on deep down. He didn't know how lonely and lost Victor felt. He didn't know that Victor was trying to find the meaning of life and love for the past ten years. He felt it briefly when he saw that angel but now it was gone again. That encounter did help with his skating career. He felt a little bit of a boost after that night. Somehow, he seemed to get stronger physically. He became the kind of skater that everyone envied and looked up to. He also felt like he wanted to live again. Brown Eyes had given him a reason to live. 

Now it was time to repay him.

~ ~ ~ 

_The dream was getting more vivid with each night. He remembered more and more from it. Victor could still feel fingers running through his long hair and getting tangled within it. Despite the gentle tugs, he felt at ease. Someone out there cared about him enough to save him. Someone knew he was in trouble and came to his aid. His eyelids fluttered as he tried to make out what they were saying. Their lips were moving and sound was coming out but he could only understand fragments and bits. Brown Eyes did say more to him._

_**Don't worry...You will be all right. I'm right here...I will stay with you...** _

_It wasn't in any language he knew but he understood what was being said. He could feel the hand caressing his face and feel the weight someone's stare. At first, he assumed it was one of his friends or a passerby that found him. It wasn't until he saw the scales on the creatures arms and face that he realized he wasn't looking at a human. It couldn't be a human._

_**I won't leave you. As long as you need, I will be here.** _

_Before he got the chance to ask, there was a bark from far away and people calling out his name. The creature was spooked and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Makkachin had bounded over to Victor and started licking his face. By now, he had come around and was feeling a little better. Then he saw Yakov and everyone else come down. They were all talking over each other, asking to know if he was all right. They wanted to know if he needed anything. They tried to get him to a doctor and check all his vitals. He was cold and wet but he was alive. In due time, he would be back to normal._

_The angel was out there. He had to be. Those soft brown eyes couldn't be forgotten. The only reason that angel had left was because other people came. It was probably too shy to hang around. No one knew what it could be since they didn't see anything else. Some speculated that it might have been a seal. However, seals didn't have long green tails nor did they have a human face and hands. Seals were animals. This creature, whatever it was, looked like it had stepped right out of a fairy tale._

_That was all he could remember over those ten years._

~ ~ ~

The other skaters had seen the change in Victor's face when they came to Japan for the competition. No one was worried about his performance. He was still on top of the world as a skater. Everyone was more worried about his behavior. Fellow rink mates Yuri Plisetsky, Mila Babicheva, and Georgi Popovich could tell something was off. They saw how he looked at the ocean. They knew that whatever happened in the ocean, it had changed him completely. He spent more time at beaches. He didn't swim or walk around. He just sat down and looked at the water. He was looking for a sign of Brown Eyes but hadn't found it. By now, it was starting to bother everyone else. 

"I'm so sick of hearing about this stupid Brown Eyes." Yuri grumbled. They were at the rink, trying to get a little more practice in before competition started. Victor was off on his own, trying to focus but they could see he was in another world. They had no issues with it before but now it was starting to bother everyone. "That's all he talks about ever since he came here. He keeps going down to the ocean and staring at it. It's creepy."

"Leave him alone." Yakov said. "He keeps remembering that night when he almost drowned. I don't blame him for wanting to know who saved him."

"Well, it's been ten years. He needs to give it up." Yuri looked over at Victor. On the outside, he looked fine. He nailed his jumps and spins without missing a beat. 

Mila and Georgi didn't feel that way. Victor had told them both about the dreams that he had. He kept telling them that his mind was in another place. He was in the water and he could barely see through the salt water. There was a lot of fish in there. Brown Eyes had to be human. No human out there had a fish tail.

"You're right. People have legs yet you keep seeing your angel with a tail. The only thing that it could be is a mermaid." Mila decided. "It sounds like you're talking about one but that can't be right. You know those aren't real. They were made up in stories." 

"I don't get it. You keep claiming that you were saved by some angel with brown eyes. That's all you remember. Then you said it had a tail." Georgi said. "You were probably seeing things. It sounds romantic if you forget about the tail."

"Of course he was seeing things." Yuri muttered. "He slipped and fell into that water. He probably hit something on the way down there. There are no such things as angels." He shook his head. "Yakov's right. You need to give this up. If the guy doesn't want you to find him, then you need to stop looking." 

It was a harsh thing to say but everyone seemed to agree with Yuri. Out of the whole group, he was the one who had to deal with Victor pining over the mysterious creature. A merman did make a lot of sense. It would explain how this creature got to him in time and was able to pull him out of the water. It would also explain why it was there in the first place. The merman saw him fall into the ocean. Somehow, it knew he was in trouble and wanted to save him. It knew his pain. It knew that Victor wasn't ready to die despite what he thought. He had too much to live for so it brought him back to the surface. 

Finding the mermaid was going to be difficult. The ocean was fast and it was probably long gone by now. Maybe it was out there saving other people who were falling into the sea. Victor didn't care if the mermaid lived far away. He just wanted to see it one last time. He wanted to thank the mermaid for saving him when no one else did. 

"Eh, you're wasting your time." Yuri decided. "You're chasing something that doesn't exist. Mermaids and mermen aren't real. They're something people made up. Just let it go already. You're pining over someone who isn't real."

"You don't understand. He is real. I saw him. The more I think about it, the more I believe it. A mermaid or merman would be the only one who could reach me in the time to save me. No one else saw me fall in." Victor pointed out, staring at the sea. It was so calm with the waves rolling in and out. "I know he is out there."

"Whatever. If you want to keep searching for this angel, that's up to you. I'm not wasting my time watching you mope like a loser."

Yuri wasn't the only one who thought this was a waste of time. Yakov noticed that his top skater was distracted. He had been this way for a long time now but it was getting worse. Victor was a little flighty and forgetful at times but he could also be focused. That was something that made him a great skater. Now, all that focus had gone out the window. All he wanted to think about was his angel.

"Concentrate!" Yakov snapped. "I know you are better than this! What is wrong?"

"It's that angel." Mila explained. "He hasn't stopped thinking about it. We tried talking to him but he won't listen."

"Well, he needs to get over it! The competition is coming up and none of you are ready!"

Yuri rolled his eyes at that. "We'll be fine! We'll win like we always do! What's the big deal?"

Yakov kept yelling but Victor was lost. He kept thinking about that angel or mermaid or whatever it was. That sweet face looking down at him and promising him that he would be all right. It promised never to leave his side. If no one had shown up, maybe he would have gotten to know his angel. He would have known what it truly was and then everyone would believe him. He was lost right now. He didn't have any inspiration and probably wouldn't find it until that angel came back. Everyone else could tell that something was wrong.

"I pity him. He's searching for something that doesn't exist." Mila sighed.

"It could exist. Take out the strange parts of his story and it sounds romantic." Georgi said. "Look at him. He's a man in love."

"Nah, he's just a loser who's wasting his life away." Yuri decided. "We don't really need him to win. Let him do what he wants. I'm not going to sit and watch this anymore. He wants to go chase after some mermaid angel, let him do that." 

Victor overheard it all but he didn't try to get in the conversation. They had every right to be concert. Even Yuri, who acted like he didn't give a damn, secretly cared about Victor and everything that he was going through. Somehow, he knew that this was more than trying to find the person who saved him. Brown Eyes had done something to Victor. It had changed him for the better. He was a better skater, all right, but his mind was still up in the clouds. He proved it when he made a misstep on the ice.

"Your footwork is sloppy! What is going on?!" Yakov complained. "We have been through this already, Vitya! You have to stop thinking about him when you're on the ice!"

"Don't worry, Yakov! I won't make that mistake again!" 

"I should hope not! Stay focused! I know you can win this but I need you to keep your mind on the ice! Not on some mermaid or angel."

Everyone had his good interests at heart and he trusted them. There really was nothing about mermaids online other than stories and myths. No one had really seen a mermaid out there. Those who claimed to see them were usually drunk or high on some drug. The so-called mermaids were soon discovered to be seals or sea lions or some other large fish. The only mermaids he knew of were in books. There was no solid proof that they existed. They were like ghosts and aliens. People claimed to have seen them but whatever proof they had was fuzzy.

Once practice was over, the others tried to get Victor to go somewhere else. They just wanted him to get away from the water. However, he left before anyone could get a chance to stop him. He had slipped out ahead of time and was already heading down tot he shore. Yuri kicked the door when he saw that Victor was gone. He would have felt much better kicking Victor but the door would have to do. He was done with this.

"Damn! How are we supposed to stop him if he leaves before we can?!" He demanded, throwing his hands in the air. "You know what? I don't want to deal with this! Let him spend the rest of his life chasing after this stupid brown-eyed mermaid angel thing. 

"Just leave him alone." Mila suggested. "He's not going to listen to us. Until he finds out who saved him, he's not going to give up. We should just give him space."

"Yeah, whatever. He can have all the space he wants. That's his problem. Let him deal with it."

Victor had to get out of the rink because the ocean was calling to him. He felt that today was the day. He was going to see Brown Eyes once more and finally find out who he was. If this truly was a mermaid, he would be the first person to see one with his own eyes. If he was lucky, he would be able to talk one. He had no idea if mermaids had their own language or how they lived life under the sea. Were their lives anything like the ones mentioned in stories? What did they do every day? Did mermaids make friends with all the sea creatures out there? Did they have enemies in the ocean? He sat down on the sand and stared at the water. The waves were very calm today and no one was around. Maybe this was a good thing. If Brown Eyes was shy, then he would probably come out now.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear someone coming up from behind. He also didn't notice something popping out of the water and then going back down. Instead, he was looking in the other direction. There were seagulls everywhere and they were very noisy. If Brown Eyes was around, he probably didn't want to show up while these birds were flying about.

"I had a feeling you would be out here. Only you would be crazy enough to visit the beach when it's so cold outside." A familiar voice spoke up from behind. He turned around to find Christophe Giacometti, one of Switzerland's best skaters and one of the few friends he had. Like his rink mates, Chris knew about the incident. He had been only fifteen years old when Victor had fallen into the sea. The world called it an accident but he sensed there was something else. He had seen the signs earlier but didn't know what to make of them. "Everyone's asking about you. They're worried."

"I'm fine." Victor looked back at the ocean as Chris sat down next to him. "I just wanted to get away."

"You mean you want to find that person who saved you." Chris corrected him. "I know how you feel. You aren't going to rest until you know who it is. However, I get why they don't want to be found. They are probably shy and just don't want to be bothered. It's been ten years. If they wanted to be found, they would have contacted you by now."

"How? They wouldn't know how to get a hold of me."

"You're Victor Nikiforov. Everyone knows who you are. You have fans who track your every move on social media. There's no way your angel wouldn't be able to find you." 

He had to give that one to Chris. "Did Yakov tell you to talk to me?"

"No one told me to do anything. You've changed a lot in ten years. Anyone can see that. I get it. I know why trying to find this person means so much to you. You owe them your life. However, you can't just sit here and wait for them to come to you. If you do that, you might be waiting for a very long time."

Victor thought about that for a second. "So what you are saying is that I should stop waiting for him to show up."

"Right."

"Instead, I should go after him myself."

"Well, that's not what I was trying to get at_"

"You are right though." Victor stood up. "I'm wasting time waiting for him. If I want to see him, I have try and find him by myself." 

"Victor, please, don't do anything stupid." Chris tried to stop him. "I wasn't saying you should go after him. You don't even know what you're going after in the first place. Maybe he really does want to be left alone. Maybe you should_"

"I should try to find him! Thanks, Chris! I don't know why I didn't do that earlier!"

As Victor ran off, Chris lay down on the sand. So much for his plan to talk Victor out of chasing the brown-eyed angel. He had hoped to get some sense knocked into him.

"Oh, what have I done now?"

It was a good thing that he was lying down right now. If he had been sitting up, he would have noticed something pop out of the water. He would have seen those eyes focused on him and spying on everything that he was doing. He would have seen that thick black hair and a pair of eyes trying to observe everything.

Brown eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Yuuri's POV as well as a few other people...or should I say merpeople? There will be more familiar faces under the sea! (And we'll get to that M rating eventually)
> 
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr: [fallsintograce](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com). Whether it's to ask about fanfic or just to reblog the stuff I have, I'd love having you around.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally get Yuuri's POV. (Still no meeting though but we're getting there)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments, kudos, etc. You're warming the cockles of my big, black heart here. I know the update is fast but I had most of this chapter written out already. It's un-betaed but I will fix any and all errors when I get some free time. Right now, I have to head out but I want to get this out too! 
> 
> For those of you who don't know, I have another merman Yuuri AU up. It's called "As My City Fades and Is Swallowed By His Sea" and we've got a mer-manatee Yuuri in that one. That one will be the fluff merman AU while this one will be the more serious one. Am I ushering in a new era of mer-Yuuris? Yes. Yes, I am.

The ocean was dark and deep place filled with many wonders. Humans hadn't explored most of it yet and there were still so many things they hadn't discovered. In some ways, that was a good thing. The merfolk who lived deep in the ocean enjoyed the peace and quiet they had. They always kept their distance from the people. It was fun to watch the humans but they didn't want to interact with them. Instead, merfolk would collect anything from people and think about what they did on the land. Humans were fascinating creatures as well as dangerous ones. It was a good thing they hadn't gone too far into the ocean.

Yuuri was always fascinated with the human world but he had never actually spoken to a human. In the past, he just watched them from a distance and wondered what it was like to walk on legs. People were very funny people. They could swim in the water with the fishes but they could come out and dry on the land. They could walk to streets, run down the shore, and kick the water and sand around them. A part of him wondered what it would be like to join them on the land and do all those things. For that to happen, however, he needed to get close to one. He needed to see one up close. He needed to touch one.

Most of the humans he saw were too far away. They were always walking on the sand and very few made their way into the waters. Even still, they were in the shallow parts of the ocean. No one ever got far enough to see him under the water. It was for the best. He had been warned years ago never to get close to them. According to his parents, people were dangerous. People didn't care about the sea and the creatures that lived within in. Humans were destroying their own world but most of them didn't seem to realize it. The merfolk were safe from them. They lived deep below the sea where no one human had ever gone or could go. 

"They aren't strong enough to live down here." His teacher, Minako, had told him. "You can watch them, Yuuri. Admire them from the distance. Just don't try to make a friendship with them. It would be hard for you to be a friend with a human. They live on land. You belong to the sea."

They lived on land. He belonged to the sea. He had to keep that mantra in his mind whenever he looked up to watch the humans. They came in all shorts of shapes and sizes. Each person was different from the previous based on the way they moved. A few times, he did manage to swim closer just to hear them speak. It wasn't that he could understand a thing they said since humans spoke a different language. It was just that he liked how they sounded. They were always so busy and chatty around the area. There were tiny humans, big humans, bare humans, and some very incredibly hairy humans. He could watch them eat, run, shout, and do all kinds of things. All the while, none of them were aware of his existence.

"Be careful out there, Yuuri." Minako warned him every time he caught sight of a person. "If they see you, they may try to hurt you."

"What if they don't?" Yuuri asked. "Maybe there are friendly humans. They can't all be bad. I haven't seen any of them being awful to each other."

"Oh, Yuuri." Minako sighed. "You see the best in everyone but that's not always the case. Some people aren't as kind as they appear. In fact, more of them are dangerous than friendly. You've heard the stories of what they've done to our home. You heard how they hurt some of our friends. Even if you got lucky enough to find a friendly human, he would never see you as an equal. Stay safe in the sea. Watch them from the distance. Just don't try to be one of them."

She meant well but this was something that Yuuri couldn't agree with. The people that he did see didn't strike him as evil. How could someone laughing and eating on the shore be so cruel? They weren't cruel to other humans so why would they be cruel to him? Still, he knew he had to be careful around them. He was too scared to get closer than he was. He wasn't sure how to react if they found him.

"Your teacher has a point." Yuuri's older sister, Mari, was telling him. "There may be nice humans out there but they're not like us. They wouldn't last very long in the ocean."

"That's not true. I've seen humans swimming in this ocean."

"Exactly, Yuuri. They swim in the ocean. They don't live in it. Even if you were friends with them, you could only talk to them on the shore. Just stick to the water, okay?"

Both Minako and Mari had very good points. These humans that he saw underwater were very graceful. He loved watching the way they kicked their legs with their fake flippers and how they moved around. He never got close enough to them but he saw enough to know that they weren't dangerous. They were very friendly with the sea creatures and didn't bother any of them. Despite this, Yuuri was still too scared to approach them. 

Until the one day came when a human fell into the water. Yuuri had been only a few feet away when he heard it fall and saw the body floating down. Mari was with him at the time and she had seen this. She wasn't sure what to do because she knew that the human wouldn't be alive for long. Not only was the human not trying to swim but the water was cold. He would be dragged further down if he didn't try to swim forward. 

Yuuri, however, couldn't ignore this. He heard the sound but he was scared because he had no idea what it was. Then he saw all that silver hair floating around and the beautiful face of a man. It was a human and that human was drowning deep in the waters. He had no idea what compelled him to take the next action but he moved quickly. He swam over to the human with long, silver hair and wrapped his arms around his body. It was the first time he touched a human and was surprised by how warm he was. Knowing that the human couldn't last long down here, he began to swim to the surface. The human needed human air. He wasn't strong enough to stay here. 

_How did you fall in?_ He wondered, trying to wake the human up. They couldn't live in these waters. The human's eyes were shut so he decided the best way to wake this human was taking him to the surface. 

"Everything will be okay." He whispered, running his fingers through the human's hair. It was so silky that he ended up tugging on it. Somehow, that was enough for the human to open his eyes for a second. They were a beautiful blue like the ocean waters itself. The human seemed to realize he was being saved but Yuuri kept him calm.

"You're safe." He went on, slowly making his way to the top. The sooner he got this human some air, they better he will feel. "No one will hurt you."

"Yuuri, what are you doing?!" Mari hissed, trying to follow her brother. "He's a human! Leave him alone!"

"If I leave him alone, he will die!" Yuuri pointed out. "I have to get him back to the land!"

"Then let me come with you! I have to make sure he doesn't wake up!"

The human's eyelids fluttered and closed again as Yuuri pushed him up. He took a deep breath and fell on Yuuri's shoulder, completely asleep. Mari surfaced as well to take a look at him. The human's hair had fallen all over his face so she pushed it out of the way. It was the closest that either of them had been to a human being. They had seen them from a distant but now here was one in their grasp. This human was breathing quietly but he was alive.

"What do we do now?" Mari wanted to know, still feeling the human's hair. "We can't keep him, Yuuri. He belongs on land."

"I know that. I'm going to leave him on the sand." Yuuri decided, swimming closer to the shore. "I'll look after him until he wakes up."

"What?! That's a terrible idea! How are you going to explain this to him?!" 

"Well, what else can I do? I can't leave him until I know he'll be okay!" Yuuri gently touched the human's cheek and felt how warm he was. "He's still alive, Mari. Isn't he beautiful?"

"Gorgeous." Mari didn't try to hide her annoyance. "Okay, you can leave him on the sand but that's it. No one should know about what happened. I won't tell Mom and Dad if you just leave that human alone."

"He can't do anything to us. He's not even awake." Yuuri kept human's head above the water and carried him to the shore. Mari reluctantly followed behind to make sure nothing happened to them. No other humans were around, which was good. They had done their best to hide from them until now. 

"Just drop him on the sand and come back." She told him as Yuuri lay the human on the ground. "You know he's alive. You don't need to do anything else to him."

Yuuri knew he had to go back but he couldn't help himself. This was a beautiful human being. That long, silver hair just fell through his fingertips when he held up a couple of strands. Gently, he tugged on it to see if the human would react. To his surprise, the human just remained completely still. He leaned closer to hear him breathing again.

"Yuuri, you can't stay with me. Come back." Mari tried to motion her brother towards the water but Yuuri couldn't return yet. He was too captivated by this human that he had saved. 

"What were you doing in the water?" He asked out loud, not sure if he would get an answer. "You don't belong in the ocean." Gently, he stroked the human's warm cheek with the back of his hand. There was some color coming back to that beautiful face. "It doesn't matter how you ended up in the water though. I managed to get you out. I wish you would wake up though. I want to hear what you sound like."

Suddenly, there was a sound from the distance. Yuuri looked up to see some humans in the distance. Without thinking twice, he left the human behind and went towards the water. Mari took his hand and dragged him down till they were far from the shore. Fortunately, none of the other humans had seen them but Yuuri peeked out once just to make sure things were fine. He was at a distance but he could see his human had finally woken up. Other humans, including a very hairy one, were surrounding him. He seemed confused but he was all right. He was alive. He was wet and cold but very much alive.

_Well, I'm glad that you're with the other humans. I hope I get to see you again. Maybe one day, we'll actually speak to each other._

That had been ten years ago and Yuuri kept going back to that spot. The human never returned. Other people walked around the area but not the silver-haired one who had captivated him. He never could forget that face and he wanted to believe the human would come back one day. There was something between them. He had felt a tug inside when he got close to that human. Every day, he wished he had stayed a little longer with the human. He wished he had woken him up and gotten to know who he was. Mari told him that it was for the best. They had done what they needed to do. Now it was time for other humans to take care of him.

"The other humans will take care of him. You saved his life. That's all you had to do." She reminded him. "The less he knows about us, the better."

One good thing did come from that experience. Yuuri not only got more comfortable learning about humans, he ended up making a friend. It had happened one day when he felt like observing people. He had gone close to the beach when he saw another young man walking down the shore. It wasn't his silver-haired human but a dark skinned boy who looked very friendly and charming. He didn't know why he was drawn to this person. He followed him for a little bit before the young man looked up and waved. Yuuri tried to escape but then the young man called him to come closer. 

"Don't be scared! I won't hurt you!" He promised, motioning Yuuri to stay. "It's okay. Everything is okay. I won't tell anyone about you."

Yuuri slowly made his way to the young man. "You aren't scared of me?" 

The young man was confused and shook his head to indicate he didn't understand what Yuuri had said. "I should have figured. You have no idea what I'm saying." He held out his hand and beckoned Yuuri to come closer. "It's okay. You can trust me."

Yuuri stared at the hand for a second before inching closer. He carefully touched the other boy's hand and let it rest there. Like the silver-haired human, this boy was warm. He squeezed that hand and felt a squeeze in return. This was proof that the boy meant no harm. He wasn't scared of Yuuri and Yuuri wasn't scared of him. His family was wrong. Not all humans were bad.

"There's got to be a way for us to talk to each other." The boy murmured. "What can I do?"

Yuuri seemed to understand what he was saying. He had never done this before but he could try and see if it worked. He had seen his teacher do this multiple times and she always succeeded. He knew the words that she chanted her breath so he motioned the boy to get closer. Carefully, he ran his hands down the boy's face and found the sides of his neck. He found the right spot and began chanting under his breath. He knew these words by heart now. He had memorized them in hopes of seeing his human again one day. However, he had to try it on someone else. Minako gave this ability to other merfolk so they could understand what humans were saying. This was so they could spy on humans and make sure they weren't trying to cross into merfolk territory. Yuuri had practiced the chant before but now he had to see if it worked. The boy moved back a little when Yuuri was done. He wasn't sure what had happened but he felt something warm in his throat. It stung a little but he was fine.

"Oh, that was...interesting." The boy rubbed his neck. "I'm not sure what you did but..."

"I'm sorry if it bothered you." Yuuri apologized. "It's the only way I could get you to understand me."

"Well, it was a little painful but..." He stopped when he realized that he understood what Yuuri had said. "Oh, you do speak my language!"

"No, actually, I just gave you the ability to speak mine. I just had to know what you were saying to me." Yuuri explained. "Aren't you scared?"

"Of what?"

"Of me." Yuuri looked down at himself. "I'm...I'm not human."

"I can see that and I don't mind. I've heard about mermen in this place. I've seen you come around here a lot."

"You have?" Now Yuuri was embarrassed. He had been so careful in the past and made sure no humans spotted him. Evidently, someone did spot him. "Has anyone else seen me?"

"No, it's just me. I only come here alone but occasionally I bring my pets." 

"Pets?" 

"Oh, I have hamsters. I usually carry them around whenever they want some fresh air. I didn't bring them today but_"

"What are hamsters?" Yuuri interrupted.

The boy laughed. "That's right, you have no idea what they are. I'll introduce you to them one day." Then he got serious. "You have nothing to worry about. No one will know your secret. I'm only going to ask one thing from you and that's your friendship."

"Friendship?" This was odd. Most merfolk didn't ask Yuuri for friendship, let alone a human. "I don't even know your name."

"True. Maybe I should introduce myself." The boy held out his hand. "My name is Phichit and I live close by."

Yuuri stared at the hand for a second before touching it. Phichit began to move that hand up and down. "Uh, I'm Yuuri. What are you doing to my hand?"

"I'm shaking it. That's how humans greet each other." Phichit explained. "Now you and I aren't strangers anymore. There's nothing to be afraid. I won't tell anyone about you."

"...All right." Yuuri was a little apprehensive but Phichit seemed friendly enough. He hadn't called any humans over yet. He hadn't tried to hurt Yuuri. Maybe he could trust humans after all. It wasn't the silver-haired human that Yuuri met years ago but he was glad to have met Phichit. If he could comfortable talking to Phichit, he would be comfortable talking to his human one day too. "I guess we are friends."

Phichit shook his hand again, this time giving one firm handshake. "I guess so."

And that was how Yuuri made his first human friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 will take a little more time to write (I need to clean that one up). Hopefully, it should be out sooner than later! 
> 
> In the meantime, follow me on tumblr: fallsintograce. I'd love to hear from you!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They actually see each other!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Managed to squeeze this one out, a little shorter than previous chapters. After the next chapter, updates may be a little slower. These first five were things I had written a while ago. Now I'm caught up to all of it. Not beta-ed but will check over any tiny errors in the morning. I swear these two won't be apart for much longer and will actually attempt to communicate the next time!

The next few years were spent learning about humans and their way of life. Truthfully, they were not bad. Some humans did hurt the ocean but there were others who were trying to help save it. They were doing everything they could to keep the ocean around for years to come. Phichit was a wonderful human and he had kept Yuuri's secret for a long time. He was willing to talk about everything and answer any questions that Yuuri had. He would bring over some things from the land and explain what they did. One time, he brought over something called a phone. Apparently, this was something that humans used to communicate with each other when they were far away. It was also something that took things called 'pictures' and 'selfies'. To show how it worked, Phichit took a picture with this phone. Yuuri was a little terrified until he saw what a picture was. It captured a moment in time. 

"It's fascinating." Yuuri stared at the picture for a long time. "That's you and me with the sea behind us. How is this possible?"

"That's a long story. The bottom line is that it's nothing harmful. People use these cameras to keep memories of something they want to remember. One day, I'll take more pictures with you and you'll get used to it." 

It was wonderful spending time with Phichit but Yuuri had his mind on another human. People came and left but not the one person he needed to see. Was his human doing well? What if he had fallen in the ocean again and no one had saved him? Yuuri would never forgive himself if the human had died. 

He and Mari were spending one afternoon close to the shore when he saw a familiar sight. At first, he didn't believe it but it was true. The more he looked at it, the more real it became. He felt like something was pulling away at him on the inside and he couldn't ignore it. There was the human again. He looked so different from the last time. His hair, silver like the moon, was much shorter and he was so much taller. However, it was the same human that had fallen into the ocean years ago. He had grown so much but seeing him made Yuuri feel weak inside. He couldn't stop staring. He wanted to get close enough just to see those eyes again. For the brief moment that they opened, he could tell they were the same color as the ocean waves.

Mari followed his gaze and shook her head. Ten years later and her brother still wasn't over humans. "Oh, don't even bother. Humans like that don't belong in the ocean. They would never be able to survive. You can't turn him into a merman either. He would miss the land. He would never feel like he fits in."

"Then what do I do?" Yuuri asked. "I have to see him again. I want to know how he is doing."

"Judging from what I can see, it seems like he is fine. You saved him. You should let him go."

"I know but I can't let him go. Ever since that night, I've wanted him to come back. I wanted to ask him if there's anything else I can do."

"Anything else you can do? You are a merman, Yuuri. Unless he needs something from the ocean, there's not much he will ask out of you. I'm sure he's grateful to you. I know he probably never forgot that you saved him. However, you have to let him live his life. Let him be on the land and live with his own family and friends. He has them and you have us. You can watch him but don't go any further."

It was so much easier to say than do. Yuuri kept watching his human as two other humans showed up. One of them was much smaller and looked very angry about something. He couldn't tell what they were talking about but his human remained calm. The other human was ever smaller and very hairy. This one did not speak like normal humans. It made strange barking noises and ran around the other two humans. He couldn't understand how something this small could exist out there. 

"That human is too hairy and tiny." He noted.

Hearing that, Mari almost burst out laughing. "Oh, Yuuri, did you forget already? That's not a human! It's what humans call dogs! I've heard about them from other merfolk. They treat them as pets. Dogs are completely from humans. They are completely loyal to humans though. You've seen several of them walking around before."

That was right. Yuuri had seen plenty of humans walking these dogs up and down the shore. This one dog must have belonged to his human who was now petting it. The angry human continued to talk about something but it made no sense. Humans had a different language from merfolk. The dog was even harder to understand. All it made was strange sounds. 

"I need to get closer." Yuuri decided. "That other human doesn't look very nice."

"Yuuri, no! You don't know what they're talking about! Your human is fine!"

It was too late. Yuuri was already swimming closer to where the two humans were. The angry human kept talking like he was accusing his human of something else. What was going on? If his human was bothered by this, he certainly didn't seem that way. He just kept smiling like he was expecting this. It was admirable. His human didn't lose his temper or yell back like the angry human. He just took everything in stride and answered in a calm manner. It was obvious he didn't think much of the angry human. 

_He seems so confident. He doesn't care what that other human is saying. He's just listening to him and it doesn't bother him at all._

The dog stopped moving around long enough to lock eyes with Yuuri. She let out a happy bark and the other two humans stopped talking. He quickly dove back down as soon as he saw their heads turn. Hopefully, he disappeared as fast as he appeared. He knew he couldn't hear them as well in the water but he sensed that they were looking for him. 

_That was very close._ He thought, moving away from the scene. The dog was still barking as he went far enough so no one could see them. Then he peeked his head out from the water. 

"Yuri!" 

That was a word that did manage to hear and it made him panic. His human knew his name? Curious, he went back up and peeked his head out. His human was still talking to the angry human. The only thing he could understand was 'Yuri' and the angry human responded to that.

 _Oh, his name is also Yuri. That's who he is talking to._ He realized. _Of course he wouldn't be talking to me. He doesn't even know who I am. I wonder if he'll even remember me if he sees me. It was so long ago._

"We should go." Mari gently touched Yuuri's shoulder. "There are too many humans out there. We don't want them to find us. Let's go to the other side. It'll be quieter over there."

Yuuri nodded and sunk back into the water. It was nice to see the human again but they were still so far away. He felt that if he could get close enough, he could touch him. Maybe one day it would happen. One day, they would see each other eye to eye. 

~ ~ ~

Yuri Plisetsky had come to the shore in hopes of winning a competition and getting some free time to enjoy on the beach. His friend and a fellow figure skater, Otabek Altin, would be competing as well. After the competition, he hoped that they could spend some time together and enjoy the beach. He had a lot of things he wanted to do. The one thing he did not want was to babysit the current world champion. They were years apart yet he felt like he was the one looking out for Victor. He knew he should have ignored it but something bothered him. He couldn't ignore this so he tried to make sense of it. 

"This is annoying." He grumbled. "I thought you cared about winning."

"I did." Victor murmured. "But there's something else out there. It's something I have to find."

"Great. Now I have to sit and watch you pine over some stranger that doesn't care about you."

"You don't have to do anything. No one is forcing you to stay." Victor shrugged. "I just have to do this."

"Whatever." He looked over at Victor and wanted to ask why this was so important. In the end, he opted not to. "Do what you want. I'm not getting involved in this." 

That was what he told himself all the time yet he couldn't believe it. Yuri would never admit this out loud but he cared a lot about Victor. Ever since that night, he was also curious about the so-called angel. How did anyone know Victor had fallen into the water? How were they able to get him out in time and bring him to shore? Victor claimed it was some brown-eyed angel who pulled him to the surface and saved his life.

"Bullshit." Yuri replied upon hearing the story. It was probably the eighteenth time he had heard this. "There is no such thing as an angel. Someone probably took pity on you and saved you from drowning. Don't make it a big deal."

Those were the wrong words to say. Victor was obsessed with his angel now. He wanted to keep coming back to the beach so he could find them. He wanted to thank them for saving his life. Yakov was getting tired of hearing about it as well. They couldn't go to the beach every single time especially when they had so much to do. 

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm grateful that they saved you." Yakov had said. "If they don't want you to find them, then don't go after them. Don't waste your time on something like this. You have work to do!" 

When Yakov wasn't screaming at him, Yuri started up. He was getting tired of how lovesick Victor was. It felt like this crush was going nowhere. He wouldn't be bothered by it if Victor focused on something else now and then. Instead, he just wanted to go down to the beach and stare out at the waves. That was it. He wasn't actively trying to go after this angel. He was just looking out at the ocean and hoping they came to him. It was hopeless. 

"Why are you still hanging around this place?" Yuri wanted to know. "You keep saying you're looking for something. You come out every night and you still have nothing. Get over it already, you geezer! You're wasting time out here!"

Makkachin let out a few happy barks but Victor remained silent. It was unbearable so Yuri tried to get him to talk. "If you're thinking about that night, you need to stop. You fell into the water by accident and you were saved. Maybe your angel doesn't want to be found. He saved you and he's done. If he really cared, he'd keep up with you."

"I think he's afraid." Victor murmured.

"Afraid of what? There's no need to be afraid of you. He probably just doesn't want a ton of praise for this." Yuri looked out to the sea and felt something strange. It seemed like someone was watching them from the distance. That was when he noticed the shadowed thing in the water. "Who's there?"

"Hmm?"

"I swear I think someone is spying on us." He squinted at the waters in front of them. The waves were rolling in and out so it was hard to see anything. "Hey, you! I know you're out there! Come out!"

"Yuri!"

 

"What?! I swear someone is watching us! That's the reason your dog is barking!"

Makkachin was barking a lot and looking out at the ocean. She must have sensed something in it but there was nothing in those waves. If someone was there, they were long gone. She kept barking and tried to go into the water. Victor had to hold her back before she dove into those waves. She could swim but those waters did not look friendly and could easily pull her down. Still, she was very hyper and he had a good feeling that Yuri might have been right. Someone was watching them. 

"What the hell was that about?" Yuri wanted to know. "I don't see anyone."

"Well, maybe you scared them." Victor scratched Makkachin behind her ears. She was having a hard time staying still and nearly slipped out of his arms. Whatever spooked her couldn't be too far away. The problem was he couldn't see anyone else on land besides the three of them. 

"Serves them right. Who the hell do they think they are spying on people?" Yuri grumbled. 

"Just forget about them. They're gone now." Makkachin had also calm down but now she seemed to be more interested in something around the corner. Victor knew that he had no choice but to follow her. "It's getting late. You should probably go inside."

"What about you though?"

"I'm going to take Makkachin for a short walk and then I'll be back." 

Makkachin was lively and running down the shore as her master tried to keep up with her. Even though it was late and they needed to go back in, she wanted to play. He kept throwing sticks for her to fetch and she'd keep bringing them back to him. It didn't seem like this was tiring her out either. He sat down on the sand while she dug up a hole in the ground. 

"Oh, Makkachin, I'm tired!" He sighed as she licked him and nearly knocked him to the floor. "Okay, we'll go a little further and then we'll turn back. If I stay out too late, Yakov will scream my ear off."

Makkachin seemed to get the message and they walked down the shore for just a little longer. It was getting darker and they were coming to the more hilly and grassy parts of the beach. Most people had already left the beach but Victor still felt like there was someone around. He didn't know if he was paranoid or if it was the ocean air giving him this feeling. Tonight felt very much like the night when he nearly drowned. He wasn't focusing on how everything looked around him. All he cared about was how miserable he felt and how much better the world would be without him in it. Even now, he still had moments where he thought that.

They climbed a little further until his dog finally stopped in her tracks. He was glad because that meant she was tired and ready to go home. He followed her to the edge and tried to get her to come back. "Okay, Makkachin, now we_"

Suddenly, he froze in place. His gaze followed Makkachin's and he realized what she had been staring at. There were two people hanging around the rocks. One was in the water while the other one was sitting on the rocks. It wouldn't be odd for him it weren't for the fact that the person on the rocks didn't have legs. If anything, those legs looked fused together with scales. They looked more like a tail.

Tail. Mermaid. 

He didn't know what to say but both of those beautiful creatures looked terrified. The one in the water, a girl, sunk back down into it. However, the one on the rock just stared at him for a second. His scales glowed in the moonlight and were a beautiful blue-green color like the ocean waves. He was the most gorgeous creature Victor had ever laid his eyes on. More importantly, the merman was familiar to him. He remembered those soft brown eyes that were staring back in fear. 

"It's you!" He gasped, recognizing the angel. It had been years but he never forgot him. His angel was a merman. Slowly, he tried to make his way to the edge and get a better look. "I never got to_"

Suddenly, the mermaid popped back up and yelled something at the merman. His angel finally got out of his daze and jumped back into the water. Victor tried to reach out to him but there was no point. They were facing each other but were too far away to touch. 

"No, don't go! I have to talk to you!"

It was too late. His brown-eyed angel had been found but now he was gone again. He went down into the water and would not come back out. 

Well then, if you won't talk to me out here, I'll go after you. Victor decided, looking down at Makkachin. I found you once, I will find you again.

Out loud, he spoke to his dog. "I hope Yuri doesn't mind looking after you, Makkachin. I might be gone for some time." 

He knew it would be a while but he would find that angel again. The ocean might have been vast but there weren't that many hiding places for a mermaid. Even if it killed him, he would see him again.

He had Brown Eyes in his sight and he wasn't ready to let him go. Not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks to everyone who leaves kudos, comments, etc. You keep my cold heart warm. Between this, the mer-manatee AU I have, and two new WIPs, my behind is going to be busy all month long. The next update might take some time to get up but it will be there. I promise. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @ fallsintograce for teasers and more!


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're almost together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took a bit of time to update this. Now that I'm caught up with the chapters I wrote previously, it may take a little longer to update now. I have two other fics (soon to be three other fics) that also need updating. One is a fluffy mer-manatee AU called "As My City Fades and Is Swallowed By His Sea" and the other is phantom thief AU called "Snowflake Through the Looking Glass". So I'm alternating between them now. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm off to Austin today so if I've made any errors, I'll fix them when I get home. I just wanted this out before I left!

The merman was one of the most beautiful creatures that had ever been in the ocean. His tail shimmered in blue-green and he had the same colored scales on his neck, collarbone, and sides. His top half resembled a human aside from the scales and his eyes were wide and brown. His brown-eyed angel had shown up when he least expected it. Victor wanted to say so much but never got the chance. Both the merman and the mermaid went into the water. 

"Come back!" He pleaded but it was in vain. If they had heard him, they were not coming back. 

The angel had disappeared into the ocean but Victor was determined to go after him. He couldn't have gone very far. Apparently, a lot of people had seen something like this around the shore. No one knew it was a merman but they had described something with blue-green scales. They had assumed it was just some giant fish swimming around. However, Victor had now seen that beautiful, frightened face and he wanted to know more about the merman. 

_If you won't talk to me out here, then I will go after you. I'm going to do exactly what Chris said._ He decided when he went back to his room. Makkachin was waiting for him, pouncing around the room. She was excited to see that her master had come back and she knew he had found something. Part of his answer was here. The angel was real. This was the same one that saved him years ago. Now he needed to know why.

"Okay, Makkachin. You have to behave for Yuri." He told his dog who lay on her back for a belly rub. As tempting as it was to play with her, he was on the hunt for Brown Eyes. "I'm sorry but you will have to wait. I can play with you tonight. There's something I need to do first."

Makkachin whimpered and he gave her a hug. "He's out there, Makkachin. I finally saw him and now I need to know who is. You'll understand, won't you?"

Makkachin rolled back around and nudged him with her wet nose. Then she licked his hand and he scratched her behind her ears. "Oh, I'm tempted to wait until tomorrow but I can't. What if he doesn't come back? What if he swims so far away that I cannot follow him? No, I can't waste time. Yuri can take you for a walk while I'm gone." 

Victor had gone diving before but Yakov was a little concerned about him going off on his own. When his coach heard about the plan, he was not very thrilled with it. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I want someone there in case something happens to you. I will feel better if you went with someone else."

"I promise I'll be careful! I won't be gone very long, just maybe an hour or two!" Victor assured him. "Please, Yakov! I have to do this on my own!"

"Vitya, you're never gone for an hour or two. And even if you were, I don't feel safe. I know what you're going to say. You are an adult. You know what you're doing. You won't listen to anything I say regardless. Why am I wasting any of my breath on you?" Yakov sighed. "This is the one time I want you to listen to me. At least have someone waiting for you when you surface. Ask Yuri, Mila, or Georgi to keep an eye on you. I will feel better."

Yakov had good reasons to be concerned so Victor did agree to have Mila and Georgi to keep an eye on him. They would wait on land while he went down. Yakov told him that he had two hours to do this and then he had to get back to his room. He didn't want anyone waiting outside too long while they were in the middle of competition.

"I want you healthy and ready to win." He said before Victor left for his adventure. "No matter what, I do hope you find the answer you are seeking. If it will put your mind at ease, then I will support that decision." 

"Thank you, Yakov. I promise I won't waste too much time."

"Just come back safely, all right? Even if you don't find anything tonight, there's always tomorrow. You have time to chase other things later. Do not forgot the important things in your life." 

While Yakov was worried, Yuri was annoyed. He got the duty of taking care of Makkachin while her master went chasing after mermen. He couldn't believe it at first when he heard that. In his mind, Victor was insane. He was going to look for something that probably didn't exist. Victor wouldn't give him a chance to say no. He just handed Makkachin and all her things over before running off. Now all of Yuri's plans with Otabek were dashed and now he was dog-sitting. He had enough to deal with when it came to taking care of his cat. Now he had an overactive poodle to look after. If Makkachin could stay still, he wouldn't be as annoyed. Instead, she just wanted to play and go places. After an hour, Yuri was exhausted. 

"Why am I the one who has to take the dog out for walks?! Why can't let Georgi or Mila or someone else deal with her?" Yuri grumbled as Makkachin dragged him down the sidewalk. The one good thing about this was that he wasn't doing it alone. Otabek didn't seem to mind taking Makkachin out to play and walking around. "If he can't take care of her, why can't he leave her with someone else?"

"He did leave her with someone else." Otabek nodded at him. "He told you to walk her." 

Yuri was not amused. "Let's just get this over with. I bet he's going to get lost in the ocean and then we're going to go after him." Then he thought of something. "Hey, maybe he gets eaten by a giant squid or shark or something! Wouldn't that be cool?!"

"That would be horrible. You want him to get eaten?"

"No! I mean, wouldn't it be cool if sea monsters existed?" Yuri rolled his eyes. "Look, as much as Victor annoys me with how forgetful he is, I don't want the guy dead. I was reading about sea monsters around here and there's a lot of them. There's this weird thing called a...Chihoko or something. What if he runs into a Chihoko?"

"Somehow, I don't think he will run into anything like that. If he does, he can take care of it." Otabek promised, taking the leash from Yuri. Makkachin slowed down when he took over and she began to take slower steps. "Do you believe him?"

"I don't know. I think it's strange that he claims he was saved by a merman. Do you think they're real?" Yuri asked. "I didn't believe all this at first but maybe...it makes sense. A merman would have saved him that night. They would have found him before anyone on land did."

"So let's say he is right and this is a merman." Otabek began. "What will he do then? He is a human being and he belongs here. That merman would never be able to live with him. They can't keep seeing each other like this."

"Knowing Victor, he's going to bring that merman home and put him in a bathtub."

"I can see him doing that but it won't be right. I don't think he's going to want to leave the sea. No matter Victor might feel for him, he wouldn't be able to survive in a bathtub. Does Victor know anything at all about this merman?"

"What do you think? He just sees him as angel who brought him back to life. It's ridiculous. At the same time, I guess I understand it. I just hope he's not disappointed if the merman doesn't want to talk to him. From what I've heard, he seems shy and scared of people. He probably doesn't want Victor to bother him." 

"Or maybe the merman is afraid." Otabek thought out loud. It did sound unusual that Victor wanted to chase a merman but it couldn't be impossible. The ocean was vast and there was parts of it that had yet to be discovered. "He is probably too scared to talk to Victor."

"Well, whatever the reason, I hope Victor finds this merman. The sooner he gets over it, the better."

"I highly doubt he's going to get over it. If anything, he's going to want to know more about the merman."

Yuri frowned as Makkachin ran around his legs, wanting to play a little longer. He had a feeling that he was going to end up doing more dog-sitting than he wanted to. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right." 

~ ~ ~

Yuuri had hoped that the human wouldn't think about trying to go after him. He had gone deep into the water and followed his sister to safety. It wasn't that the human would hurt him. He just wasn't ready to see him again. He didn't know how to react. A smart merman would have stayed behind and tried to talk to the person. It was what he wanted to do. Instead, his fear got the best of him and he jumped into the water. He fled the scene like a coward would. 

_It's him! It's my human that I saved! He thought as he dove deeper into the water. I can't believe he's here!_

In his mind, he could still picture the human's face. So much had changed with him but he couldn't forget those eyes. The moment that they were staring at each other, he wanted to say so much. He wanted to know how things had been for the human over the last few years. He wanted everything about the human's life; what he did everyday, did he have a family, and so forth. Yet when it came time to say anything, he couldn't open his mouth. Not that the human could understand him in the first place. Still, there could be another way they could communicate. Even if he couldn't speak, hand gestures would work. Facial expressions could work. Body language could work. 

On the other hand, it wasn't the same as talking. He could find out so much with a simple conversation. They could get more and more comfortable if they spoke in words. Then he could learn the human's name and know so much more about the human world. 

He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. This wasn't like in the past when he could save an unconscious human. No, this human was alive and healthy and probably had one million questions to ask. Giving Phichit an ability to talk to merfolk was one thing. Could he give another human that ability?

_I should be able to do that. How else could the two of us talk? I have no problem talking to Phichit. I shouldn't have a problem with him._

His sister didn't need to be told to escape. As soon as the human caught her, Mari was already deep into the water. She had no desire to talk to him or let him get a better look at her. If Yuuri had been alone, he might have tried to stay behind. When she went down, he couldn't help but follow. 

"That was very close!" Mari exclaimed. "I can't believe he saw us! We should have gone down sooner."

"It's okay. He didn't do anything to us. Maybe he'll forget all about us." Yuuri suggested.

"Are you kidding me? Once a human sees a mermaid, they will not forget about them. They will tell all their human friends about us!" Mari pointed out, looking behind her. "All right, it doesn't seem like anyone is following us. Still, I want to get far away from that human."

"I don't think he will hurt us, Mari. If he wanted to do that, he would have done it while we were sitting by the rocks."

"In any case, I don't really want to talk to him. It was bad enough when you saved that human years ago. We're lucky he didn't wake up while he was underwater. We left before he could ask us anything." Mari paused for a second to rest beside a rock. "I know you can't stop thinking about that human, Yuuri. I know you feel very lonely but you shouldn't get too close to him."

"Maybe so but I really wish I had another friend. After what happened to Vicchan..."

Mari froze up as soon as she heard that name. There was no way Yuuri could have forgotten what happened to his beloved pet clown fish. Vicchan had been with him for over ten years and was constant companion. Anywhere Yuuri went, the fish would follow. He was a mischievous little creature but he was loved. Vicchan was part of the family and no one ever thought anything could tear the family apart. Then came that one horrible day that changed everything.

Vicchan had been playing around with other fish while Yuuri was scavenging the area for human things. He had his back turned for one second and everything went completely wrong. When he turned around, a larger fish had shown up and was swimming after all the other fish. Most of the fish managed to get away but Vicchan was not as lucky. Yuuri tried to save his pet but it was too late. The swordfish got to Vicchan and that was the end. Since that day, Yuuri vowed never to get close to anything again.

Then that human came in and his mind changed. He didn't know why because a human wasn't the same thing as a fish. It couldn't live underwater with him. 

"You can make friends with the merfolk down here." Mari explained. "What about Yuko and her husband? They're your friends."

"That true but they can't answer the questions that I have." Yuuri explained. "They don't know anything about human life. The only ones who can answer that are humans. I know some of them are dangerous but they can't all be that bad. I don't think this human is like them. He hasn't gone after us."

"He could come after us and_" Mari peered from behind the rock. "Never mind, he did follow us! How did he know we'd be here?!"

"What?!" Yuuri tried to look up but Mari forced him down. "I need to see this! What are you doing?!"

"It's bad enough he saw us on the shore! Now he's after us in the water. Stay down!" She hissed. "Maybe he'll go away after a while. As long as we don't make a sound, he won't find us."

Yuuri tried to look around the rock but he couldn't see very much. "Where is he? I don't see anything. Let me look!"

"Stay where you are!" She hissed. "He's lurking around but he's not anywhere close to us."

"Should we try to scare him off?"

"No, just leave him alone. He'll probably search a little longer and then he'll go away. These humans don't stay here for long. He'll get tired and he'll go back to the land where he belongs. Humans like to explore the ocean but they can't live here. They're not like us."

Yuuri knew this all too well. As much as he liked spending time with Phichit, his human friend was stuck on the land. Sure, he came into the water a few times but they couldn't talk or do much under the water. Phichit could swim well but he was no merman. He didn't belong with them. Nonetheless, he was willing to talk about the human world and tell Yuuri everything that humans did out there. It was a fascinating world albeit a very complicated one. He couldn't understand some of the stories Phichit told him, such as when humans got violent towards each other. Apparently, that was a very common thing that happened. Humans liked to fight. They wanted to win their fights. 

"But why?" Yuuri asked Phichit one day. "What good does that do? Even if one side wins, they'll still suffer losses of some kind, right? They'd probably have a lot of damages."

"You're right and you think people would learn. Unfortunately, history does repeat itself. You're lucky you're a merman. From what you told me, the ocean does sound nicer."

"Maybe so but there's a lot of stuff to see on the land too. I wish I could walk on it." Yuuri murmured. "There's one thing in particular I want to see."

He didn't tell Phichit what it was but that was only because he didn't think he'd see his silver-haired human again. He was so certain that they wouldn't meet but now they had seen each other. Not only was the human still alive, he had grown up just like Yuuri had. He didn't look like a young boy anymore but a man. He was taller with broader shoulders and long legs. Despite the changes, Yuuri knew who it was. He could tell it was his human from miles away. 

It should have been easy to talk to him. Instead, he was now hiding behind rock and hoping that human didn't spot him. Why was he so scared all of sudden? This was what he wanted. He wanted to see the human again and to talk to him. He wanted to know the human's name, what he did, and if they could be friends. How was he supposed to get any of those answers if he couldn't face the human? 

"What are you thinking of, Yuuri?" Mari asked, peering over the rock. "That human hasn't left yet. He seems like he's growing tired of searching for us but he isn't turning around. We can't stay down here forever."

"And we're not going to." Yuuri decided. As scared as he was, he had to confront this human again. This was what he wanted, after all. "I know what I have to do." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I have to face him." He realized, slowly coming out of his hiding place. It was high time to meet again.

"Yuuri, no!" Mari warned him. "You don't know what he's going to do!"

It was too late though. Yuuri was out and facing his human once again. Their eyes locked on each other and that feeling came over him. Everything he had felt ten years had returned. The world could have caved in at that moment and it wouldn't have mattered.

They were together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, we'll moving this thing along a lot faster now. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! Your comments/kudos/love all fuel me and filled me up! <333
> 
> And feel free to follow me/ask me stuff on tumblr: fallsintograce.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a tad bit more slow burning but the fun will begin soon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! Well, this fic lives! It took me a while to get back into this but here we go. Un-betaed for the time being. Now I'm getting close to the fun but I gotta drag it out a tad bit more. I promise by next chapter, fun begins! I have to write some secret santa stuff now but I wanted to get this out first.

Both of them were frozen in place, unsure what to do next. The merman stared at Victor, half-confused and half-frightened. He wanted to get closer yet he wasn't sure how close to get. He kept moving an inch and then moving back. Like Victor, he was fascinated by this sight. He probably hadn't gotten close to many humans before. Maybe he had seen divers around but this was the first time he felt compelled to approach one. 

Victor had no idea how he was supposed to communicate with this creature. He was the most beautiful merman he had ever seen yet had no idea how to let him know that. His heart was racing as he thought about that night. He almost drowned and this was the merman who came to his aide. This was the merman who pulled him out, brought him to the shore, and in turn, brought him back to life. Now he had his chance to thank him yet he couldn't. How was he supposed to begin?

 _So beautiful. I've never seen anything like this._ He thought, wishing he could say that to the merman. He was truly magnificent with his blue-green tails and scales all over his body. Those familiar brown eyes were looking straight at him. He felt like melting when he felt the merman's gaze on him.

_I wish I could say something, But what? What can I say? How do I speak to him? What am I supposed to do?_

To his shock, the merman seemed to be getting closer. He was opening his mouth yet no sounds were coming out. The poor thing wanted to say something as well but had no idea how to begin. Instead, he just beckoned Victor come closer. He wanted to get a better look. 

Behind the rocks, Mari was trying to convince her brother to come back. "Why are you asking him to come closer?! He could hurt us!"

"No, not him." Yuuri assured her. "If he wanted to hurt us, he would have done it by now. I think he just wants to say hello."

"Are you sure about that? We're not supposed to get that close to humans."

"Well, we see them come down here all the time. I can find out what he really wants."

That feeling was strong between them. Years later, they were together again and Yuuri was happy that the human was healthy and alive. He had grown up tall and handsome over the years. Even in the water, he looked like an angel. Yuuri pointed to himself and ended up asking a question that was on his mind. He asked it mentally but hoped that the human could get it. _Were you looking for me? All this time, were you after me?_

To his surprise, the human nodded. It seemed like he understood what he was trying to say. Then the human held out his hand and motioned him to come even closer. He was offering his hand in friendship. Although he was a little scared and Mari was telling him not to go, Yuuri swam over to the human. 

"Yuuri, don't! Keep your distance!" Mari hissed. 

Yuuri ignored her and got close enough to look at the human's hand. He had five fingers on each hand and his skin was so pale like moonlight. He took the human's hand and looked at how strong his wrist, knuckles, and fingers were. Then he looked at the line's on the human's palm and traced them. He fully expected the human to pull away from him but he didn't. He held on and let Yuuri check him out. 

On his end, Victor was feeling ticklish anytime the merman touched his palm. He had such a light, gentle touch that sent shivers throughout Victor's body. The merman was also very cold compared to his warm body. No wonder he didn't want to let go. In water, Victor was still warmer than he was. Now the merman was counting the fingers on his hand and the comparing them to his own.

 _I know you're impressed but I need to get some fresh air._ Victor thought, motioning that he had to go up. The merman realized this and gently pulled away. However, he wasn't ready to let Victor go so easily. Instead, he decided to follow him. He had found him again and he didn't want to lose him. He broke the surface of the water at the same time and looked up at the bright blue sky. He listened as Victor took a deep breath and began to relax now that he was out of the water. Despite this, he was still very excited. Now he could talk to the merman. He could thank him and find out everything there was to know. 

"I can't believe it." Victor finally managed to say. "It's you...it's really you!"

The merman stared at him and then replied in a language he didn't understand. Victor realized that there was no way they could communicate like this. Of course this gorgeous creature wouldn't know how to speak English. There was a good chance he didn't know Russian, French, or any other human language either. This was going to be hard.

"I was afraid of that. You don't know what I'm saying, do you?" 

The merman shook his head and replied with something that sounded negative. Things seemed hopeless until Victor felt the merman's hands on his neck. At first, it felt cold but then something started to feel warm inside. It felt like his throat was on fire and it was painful. It wasn't until the merman pulled away that he was able to feel relief. He rubbed his neck yet the pain was still there. What had that merman done to him?

"Ow..." He murmured.

"I'm sorry!" The merman apologized. "I wasn't trying to hurt you but this is the only way we could ever talk to each other."

"I guess but..." Victor suddenly realized that he understood everything. "Wait, so you can speak English?"

"No, I can't speak your language. I just gave you the ability to speak mine. It'll make it easier for us to talk to each other."

"You can do that?"

"I've only done it one other time but it worked then. I just did it again." The merman smiled. "That pain will go away soon. I promise. That ability will only work when you talk to merfolk. When you speak to humans, you'll speak like you normally do with humans. You won't even know you've switched languages. It'll happen automatically."

"Oh." That was all he could muster up. He had spent his entire life trying to find this merman. Now that he had found him, he didn't know what else to say. "I...uh..."

"You've been looking for me. Am I right? You want to ask me a lot of things. Most importantly, you want to know why I saved you that night." 

"Yes! How did you know? You remember what happened?"

"How could I ever forget? That was the closest I ever came to a human being. I was afraid at first but one look at you...I wasn't afraid anymore." The merman looked down at Victor's fingertips. They were now wrinkled from the water and his fingernails were nicely trimmed yet had a little dirt in between them. "You have such nice hands, long fingers."

"Well, so do you. You have ten fingers just like any other human."

"True but I don't have ten toes like you do. I've always wondered what it's like to walk on land. How do you do it? How can a human learn how to move on their feet?" 

"It takes time. We learn when we're very young." Victor could tell that the merman had a hundred questions about the human world but he needed to ask something first. "Why did you save me that night?"

The merman looked confused. "I thought you fell in by accident. Was it a bad idea?"

"No, it wasn't! I just..." Victor wondered if he could tell the merman why he was in the water. It had been no accident. He had deliberately jumped into those cold waters and wanted to drown or freeze him to death. "I was expecting anyone to be there."

"Well, I was there. When you fell in, I didn't know what else to do but save you. I knew you didn't belong in the water. So I took you and brought you to the surface where you needed to be. I stayed with you until you woke up."

"Then you left. I knew I didn't imagine all that." Victor murmured. "I was looking for you for so many years. I thought I would never find you again."

"You did find me. I just wish you were merman like me. We could spend more time together." The merman pointed out, letting go of Victor's hand. Then those brown eyes locked with Victor's blue ones. "Your eyes remind me of the ocean waves on a calm day." 

Then the merman pulled away. "I have to go now. I've spent too much time here."

"Will I see you again?"

"Keep coming to the ocean and you will. If you don't see me, ask the fish below to find Yuuri. They'll know where I am."

"Yuuri." Victor repeated. "Your name is Yuuri."

"Yes. And yours?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! My name is Victor." Victor held out his hand and waited for Yuuri to take it. Instead, Yuuri just stared at it and counted the fingers again. "I'm offering you my hand in friendship."

"Is this what humans do?"

"Yes. You are supposed to shake my hand. It's how we greet each other."

"Forgive me. I'm still learning a lot about humans." Yuuri gave him a firm handshake. "Was that good?"

Victor nodded. "When can I see you again, Yuuri?"

"Come back here tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you. Or if you want, you can wait for me by those rocks over there." Yuuri pointed to the rocks in the corner. There was one rock in particular that was sticking out of the water. "I'll sit there tomorrow morning and wait for you. All I ask is that you don't tell anyone else about me."

"I wouldn't. No one would believe me anyway. Well", he took Yuuri's hand and gently kissed his knuckles, "until tomorrow, Yuuri."

Yuuri shivered when he felt Victor's lips on his hand. They were cold yet smooth against his skin. He wanted to pull away but he figured this was another way that human's showed affection to each other. He didn't want to let Victor go so soon. There was so much left to talk about but they had to save some of that for later. They weren't going to let each other go now.

He heard someone calling his name from below and finally pulled away. "I have to go now, Victor! I will see you soon!"

Victor tried to get him to stay but Yuuri dove back down into the water and started to swim away. He didn't want anyone to follow him now. It was bad enough Mari had seen him with that human. Hopefully, she wouldn't tell anyone else about this. She was already annoyed with him for getting so close to Victor in the first place. When he came down, she was waiting for him and ready to give him an earful.

"He could have hurt you! Just because the human looks friendly doesn't mean they are. We have been through this before." She reminded him. "I know you wanted to find out more about him, Yuuri, but maybe you should have left him alone. What if he tells his friends about us?"

"He wouldn't." Yuuri assured her. "I can trust Victor. There's something about him that tells me he's not like other humans. He wouldn't try to hurt us. He didn't hurt me."

"Maybe he's using you. He's pretending to be nice so he can get something in return."

"I don't think so. Victor is different. I know it." Yuuri still could feel Victor's lips on his knuckles. "You know, other than him having legs and walking on land, he's almost the same as us."

"He's hardly anything like us. He would never be able to survive these waters. I understand you wanted to see him again but now you need to let him go. Let him live his life. He knows you saved him so that should be it. Let him keep this a secret but don't see him again. It will be better for both of you in the end."

Mari was right about that but Yuuri couldn't agree with her. He needed to see Victor again. He was going to those rocks tomorrow morning and he would wait for Victor to show up. Then they could talk about everything. If he was lucky, he could introduce Victor to Phichit. Now he would have two human friends. Yet what he felt when he spoke to Phichit wasn't the same as when he spoke to Victor. Phichit was his friend but he could feel like he could be more with Victor. The problem was figuring out how to do that.

He could still feel Victor's hand against his. The human was so warm and he had a soft touch. He wanted to touch more than that now. He wanted to run his fingers through Victor's silver hair and across his lips. He wanted to hold Victor again and keep him close. Still, they had to take things slow. He had just seen Victor after so many years. He couldn't rush into anything.

_Tomorrow, we'll do more. He decided. I'll learn more about him. And then...maybe then, we can be together._

~ ~ ~ 

Yuri was happy to give Makkachin back to her master when Victor arrived. The dog was lovable but very active. She loved to run around everywhere and get sand in her fur and paws. She also loved running into the water and shaking it out. The worst part about taking care of her was cleaning up after her. Makkachin was a big dog. She ate a lot. As a result, she went to the bathroom a lot and it was never pretty. Yuri had tried many times to get Otabek to clean up after her but he refused. 

"Here!" Yuri finally handed Makkachin's leash to Victor. "She's yours! You owe me!"

Victor laughed and scratched Makkachin's belly. "Aww, did you give Yuri a lot of trouble? You silly girl!"

"What do you feed her anyway? She pooped for three hours straight!"

"Don't listen to him. You're a good girl!" He gave Makkachin a hug while Yuri rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry for this, Yuri, but you'll have to look after her tomorrow."

"Why?!" Yuri demanded. "You were gone for hours and for what?! Chasing after some stupid angel?! Forget it! Get a dog-sitter next time! I'm not cleaning your dog's shit anymore!"

Makkachin whimpered and buried her head into Victor's arms. He tried to comfort her as she rubbed her wet nose against his elbow. "I found my angel again, Yuri. I promised I would go back tomorrow to see him. I have to."

"Why? I told you to let this go. He saved you and that's it. Why do you have to go after him? Why can't he go after you?"

"Because..." Victor wondered if he could say this. Yuri already thought he was crazy for going after a merman. He didn't want to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. "He just can't. Anyway, I won't be gone for long this time. Maybe only an hour. You can look after Makkachin for an hour. Ask your friend to help you. I'll pay you."

Yuri looked at him when he heard the last bit. "Only an hour, huh? No more than that?"

"No more than that." 

Yuri knew he wasn't going to win this. Even if he said no, Victor would find some way to leave Makkachin with him. "Fine, I can look after her for an hour. But afterwards, get a dog-sitter or find someone else to do this. Even better, take her with you next time. Introduce your angel to her or something. Just leave me out of it."

He wasn't the only one annoyed with Victor being gone for a long time. Yakov had plenty to say when Victor showed up at the rink. He was angry but also knew there wasn't much he could do about it. Victor never listened to anything he said before and he certainly wasn't going to start doing it now. Now that he had found his angel, he was in another world. He didn't care about who he was talking to or where he was going. 

"I've heard enough already!" Yakov threw his hands up in the air. "Why can't you just let this go? It happened years ago and I'm grateful that they saved you. Still, you have been obsessing over them for a long time. You cannot let this affect everything you do!" 

"Ah, Yakov, you worry too much. Maybe that's why you don't have much hair left." He tried to touch Yakov's head but his coach moved away and swatted his hand. 

"I'm not amused." Yakov glowered at him. "Listen, Vitya. I trust you and I know you can win this competition. However, I am also worried about your well being. You worked so hard up to this point and it's like you have forgotten everything. You spend more time by the ocean than you do on the ice. At the last few practices that you've come to, I've seen you making mistakes you never made before. What's wrong with you?"

"I'll be fine. No, I am fine." Victor assured him. "I know I haven't been around, Yakov, but I will be all right. I'm going to work hard, I will focus on my programs, and I will win. You have nothing to be worried about."

Yakov wanted to believe him but Victor was distracted. When he got back on the ice, it showed that he was in another world. His moves were fluid and smooth as always but something had changed deep down. His angel had inspired him throughout the years. This angel made him stronger and better than he had been in the past. He was smiling more and he seemed to open up to people. This angel had done a good thing but he was also a distraction. Sometimes, that distraction did a good thing such as lead Victor to victory and gold medals. Sometimes, it just made him feel like he was a million miles away. 

Of course, Victor couldn't tell Yakov about Yuuri just yet. He had mentioned his angel many times but Yakov would never believe that the angel was actually a merman. Just thinking about Yuuri with his long blue-green tail and his warm brown eyes made him feel better. He felt like he could win every competition from now on. No one could understand that feeling but they didn't need to. He found Yuuri.

Now he needed to find a way to stay with him for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream at me in comments or at tumblr @ fallsintograce. I'd love to hear from you!


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My birthday is tomorrow and I usually have a tradition of writing something or updating something around that time. Since I need to update this fic, I did! This is the calm before the storm though. I apologize for any grammatical errors and I swear I will fix them asap. (I'm a busy gal but I try to get things done when I get a chance). We're going to get to the main plot of this real soon. This is just some softness before the hardness. 
> 
> Thank you all who still follow along.

Victor never felt more alive than he did the next day. Meeting Yuuri had changed his world around and he was skating with a new found confidence. He was smiling again and it looked like he loved being on the ice. He suddenly had a desire to choreograph something new and had an idea of what kind of routine he wanted to do. He heard some music earlier that reminded him of the ocean and the mermaids that swam around in it. He was mostly thinking about Yuuri the whole time. He thought about the world that Yuuri was from and what he knew about the ocean. 

Yakov was pleased to see that he was focused though he was skeptical about the theme. “The ocean? You want the theme to be about the ocean? That isn’t what I was expecting. Is that why you have spent so much time at the beach?”

“That’s one of the reasons…” Victor wasn’t ready to tell anyone about his underwater angel. He knew he existed but that was it. No one would believe him. No one would believe that there were merman out there and this was what saved him Even Yuri, who heard the story multiple times, had some doubts. He didn’t want to believe it until he saw it. 

“Bring back proof.” He suggested. “Next time you see this angel, take a freaking picture. Fuck, take a selfie if you want. If you’re not scared, you’d do that.”

Victor wasn’t scared but he worried about Yuuri. He never wanted to scare off Yuuri by taking a photo. He’d have to ask permission and show him what a camera was. Chances were high Yuuri could be camera shy as well. “I’ll see what I can do. By the way, you will have to take care of Makkachin today.”

“Why?! Can’t you hire a dog-sitter? You have money!” 

“But Makkachin likes you! She’s always happy when she sees you!”

“She drools over everything and poops too much! Otabek and I never get time to do anything else! I’m serious. Get a dog-sitter and pay them for all this. I’m done! Either that or take her with you! I'm sure she'll like the beach too.”

Yuri did have a point but Victor didn’t feel like looking for a dog-sitter. He decided to take Makkachin with him to the beach and play with her on the sand. If he was lucky, Yuuri would be around. He did find out that mermaids did like to stay in certain areas because they were far from humans. There were a pile of rocks in the distance where they liked to swim around since they knew no one would find them. Those rocks were also very jagged and slippery so anyone that tried to walk on them could face a terrible and painful death if they fell. Victor was a little terrified of them but he knew he could climb those rocks if he was careful. He would do anything just to see Yuuri again.

After practice, he went down to see him. He was excited to tell him about the new programs. First he would have to explain what figure skating was and then let him know that Yuuri had inspired him. The music he had picked for both programs reminded him of the sea on two different days. The short program’s music was sharp and choppy like waves during a storm. They would get more violent and crash hard on the shore. The free program’s was much different. It was calm and relaxed like the beach on a nice day. The waves rolled in and out with ease. This is the kind of music that reminded him of Yuuri, so sweet and quiet. Yet somehow, he sensed there was more to his angel than he realized. There had to be another side to him, a side that was more sensual and firey. He just needed to find that side and do what he could to get Yuuri to open up more.

Once he was by the rocks, he saw Yuuri sitting on one and looking out at the rolling waves. His tail shimmered in sunlight and he looked so good with the water drops falling off his back. He almost didn’t seem to hear anything until Makkachin started barking. Her barks were so loud that he nearly escaped back into the water. Victor had to yell out to him so he didn’t leave.

“Wait, Yuuri! Don’t go! It’s me! It’s only me!”

Yuuri calmed down and turned slowly. “Oh, Victor! I was scared because of the…” He looked down at Makkachin. “What is that creature with you? It keeps sticking its tongue and making strange sounds. I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen you walk with her before. What does it want?”

“Creature?” He looked at Makkachin, who was jumping up on his legs. “Oh, you must have seen me walking my dog.”

“Your dog?” Yuuri remembered Phichit telling him about dogs and humans keeping them as pets. According to him, they were not evil creatures. “That’s right. She’s not a monster.”

“No, she’s very friendly. I’m sorry if she scared you but she just wants to say hi.” Victor kneeled down to scratch Makkachin’s back. She let out some strange sounds but Yuuri didn’t seem scared. He began to see that she was a loving creature, not something to fear. “I was going to introduce you to her sooner but Makkachin can’t handle being in the deep water. I mean, she can swim but not that far down.”

“I understand. Humans don’t have the ability to swim too far down either. You can’t breathe underwater so you need something to help you breathe.”

“Ah, you know more about humans than I thought.”

“I’ve observed them from time to time.” Yuuri shrugged. “I’ve seen the humans swimming down below but I was always scared to approach them. You’re different though. When you fell into the water years ago, I knew you wouldn’t survive unless I took you to the land. It was very cold and you would have drowned.”

 _That’s because I wanted to drown back then._ Victor thought about replying but held off on it. He made Makkachin sit down on the sand and went over to where Yuuri was. He found a dry spot on the rocks and got close enough so they could keep talking. “Why did you save me that night? I know you answered that question but I need to hear it again. Why did you come after me when no one else did?”

Yuuri was surprised by the question. “It’s like I told you. You were in danger. Maybe I took a big risk getting close to a human but you didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t hurt me or anyone I knew. I couldn’t just let you drown for no reason. You must have slipped and fallen into the water so I realized I needed to take you back. Your eyes were closed so I knew you didn’t see me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I saw some of you. I opened my eyes for a second and I saw your face. I thought I was dreaming but then you told me I’d be all right.”

“You understood what I was saying?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I imagined that but I felt like you were telling me I would be fine. I never forgot your eyes though. There was something about them.” 

“My eyes? Yours are more beautiful. I do remember you opening them up for a second in the water. You probably didn’t know what I was at that time and I couldn’t explain. I just needed to get you out. My sister wanted me to leave you alone but it was impossible to do that. I would have saved anyone that fell into those waters.” 

This was true but Yuuri also knew there was something special about Victor. For years, he longed to know Victor and to run his fingers through that hair. He wanted to stare longer into those eyes and to ask him everything about the human world. Now that he had him, he forgot what to say. He was just lost in everything that Victor was. He was captivated by this beautiful human and couldn't understand why. 

“What do you do as a human?” He began. “I know humans don’t spend all day on the shore so you must do something in between.”

“Ah, I do. I skate!” Victor’s face lit up at that. “I spend most of my days skating.”

“Skating?”

“Yes, on ice. I skate on ice.” He realized that Yuuri probably had no idea what figure skating was so he needed to explain it. “It’s a sport. Humans glide on ice and they enter competitions and…” The confused look on Yuuri’s face told him that he wasn’t doing a good job. “I’m sorry. It may be better if I show you but I don’t know how.”

“It’s okay. I think I can picture it. I’ve heard about humans moving on ice before. I didn’t know you did that every day.”

“I do. It is worth it though.” He tried his hardest to make it sound true but he was lying. Figure skating was fun a long time ago but the fun had run dry. “Still, I think you have more fun as a merman. You see so many things in the ocean that I can't see.”

“Not always. It’s fun to swim around in the sea but I don’t know anything beyond that. I see humans all the time and they’re able to walk on land and swim in the sea. Then there are humans like you who can move on ice! Me, I’m just stuck in the water. Sometimes, I can crawl out onto the sand but I can’t stay long. Eventually, I have to go back to the water especially if humans are around.”

“Well, if you want to know anything about humans, you can ask me. I may not have all the answers but I can try.”

“Then tell me everything you can about yourself! Tell me all about this skating! No, tell me about your family and your friends! Tell me everything you can!”

Victor had no idea where to start but he didn’t want to leave the poor merman hanging. The best thing he could do was explain what figure skating was. It would have been easier to show Yuuri but there was no ice nearby and he couldn’t take Yuuri out of the ocean and bring him to the ring. So he did the best he could with words. He didn’t go into deep details about scoring or how competitions work but he explained the basics. The more he talked, the more intense Yuuri’s expression became. The merman was leaning in closer and taking in every word. His brown eyes sparkled with excitement and soon he was just inches from Victor’s face. 

“Yuuri?” Victor finally stopped talking, realizing that Yuuri’s lips were almost touching his. Before he had a chance to ask, Yuuri pressed those lips into his but it wasn’t a kiss. It was more like he had mushed those lips onto him. When he pulled back, Victor had to ask. “What was that?”

Yuuri was confused. “Isn’t that what humans do?”

“I...don’t think so.” Victor couldn’t understand at first until he realized how upset Yuuri looked. “Where did you see that?”

“A lot of humans have done it on the beach. They put their faces together. I thought it was something they did to show affection.”

“Oh!” Suddenly, it hit him. Yuuri was talking about kissing. “Ah, that’s different. I think I know what you wanted to do but there’s a way to do it. You have to pucker your lips! You didn’t do that the first time around.”

“I see. Maybe that’s why you didn’t understand what I wanted to do.” Yuuri practiced puckering his lips. “Like so?”

“Yes, that’s good. Now stay right there and I’ll show you how a human kisses.” 

“Kisses?”

“That’s what you were seeing the humans do. They move in slowly like this…” Victor started to move in closer and Yuuri also moved in. “And they pucker their lips...like so.” He closed his eyes as he inched forward. “Close your eyes.” 

He couldn’t finish talking because Yuuri finally kissed him. This time, he did it perfectly and his lips tasted salty like the ocean. Yet there was also a sweetness to that kiss and it was hard to pull away. For a merman, Yuuri did have some soft and luscious lips. He wanted that kiss to last longer but they pulled away after a few seconds.

“Why did you stop?” He asked.

“I...I didn’t know you could kiss longer. Most humans I've seen just kissed for a second.” Yuuri admitted. “Did you want me to keep kissing you?”

“Ah…” Victor didn’t know how to finish this sentence so he changed the subject. “You have to tell me about your life. What do you do? Where do you go? Do you like being a merman?”  
Yuuri laughed. “One question at a time. I do like being a merman but...I do wonder what it’s like to walk on legs sometimes. I want to know what it feels like to have toes. Oh, and sometimes I wonder what it’s like to do other things with your legs. One day, you have to show me how you skate.”

“That might be hard. There’s no ice around here. I can show you on the sand but it’s not the same.”

“Still, it won’t hurt to try. I would love to see it, Victor. Dance on the sand and pretend it’s the ice.” 

“Well...all right.” Victor moved away from the rocks and took off his shoes. Over the corner, Makkachin rested on the sand and watched as her master tried to dance. As it turned out, sand wasn’t smooth enough to pull off some moves. He ended up tripping over his feet a few times and ended up falling down. However, he wasn’t hurt and the worst that happened was that he had sand in between his toes and on his clothes. He was laughing though. When he fell onto the sand, he started to laugh. It felt good to laugh again. It made all those worries he had disappear for just a brief moment. 

“I’m sorry!” He apologized, trying to hide his laughter. “I haven’t practiced much on sand.”

“Well, I think you were amazing.” Yuuri admitted. “You were graceful when you fell. I’ve seen humans move around on sand but not like you. You were...you still are...beautiful.”

They fell silent for a second and everything was perfect. Victor came back to the rocks and leaned in again to give Yuuri another kiss. This time, it was better because Yuuri was prepared. He knew what to do. He knew how a kiss was supposed to feel. They held on longer as the skies got darker above them. This was a nice moment yet both of them couldn’t help but feel that something was coming around the corner. It was big and dangerous and it was going to hurt them both. It was the one thing that they would not be ready for. 

And it was only a few miles away from the shore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calm before the storm indeed. You will see what we're going to dread soon. I just have to soften the blow with a little fluff first. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: https://fallsintograce.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> And lemme know what you think!


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little calmness before the storm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE! (okay, I've been around for awhile, just updating other stuff ^^ ; ) Since it's still Mermay, it only feels fair to update this fic after so freaking long. I do apologize for the wait and for any errors (I've been ill so I've been a little slow trying to finish this chapter). This one is a little calmness before the storm. We will meet the darkness soon. It does bring up a little something that could happen later. *shifty eyes* Hopefully, it will tide things over for now.

For the next few days, Victor and Yuuri began to spend more time together. Be it in the water or on shore, they had a lot to talk about. No one could understand why Victor kept running towards the beach. He seemed more intrigued by it now than in the past. Everyone wondered why he spent hours out there and had come to a conclusion that he had found someone. They all believed he had a boyfriend that he was sneaking out to go and spend time with. It would explain why he came back so happy and walking like he was on air. He was also humming everywhere he went and treating everyone like they were his friends.

“What is wrong with him? I’ve been dogsitting for him for the past few days.” Yuri grumbled. “Why can’t he hire someone for this?”

“Ah, I think he trusts you and likes you. That’s why he leaves Makkachin with you.” Mila told him. “As for what’s wrong, isn’t it obvious? He’s head over heels in love with this boy. He’s not going to think about anything but him.”

“Yeah, well, I hope he takes the dog to visit his boyfriend next time! I’m tired of cleaning up dog poop!”

“But you’re so good at it!”

“Shut up, hag! You do this and see how much you like it!” 

Victor, on the other hand, didn’t have plans to get another dogsitter anytime soon. This was the time that he wanted to spend with Yuuri alone. He would leave early, promise that he wasn’t going far, and then go down to the beach where Yuuri would be waiting. Sometimes, he would bring a present from down below and explain what it was. Now Victor had a huge collection of seashells, rocks, gems, and antiques that had been thrown down there. 

Today was just like the previous ones with them talking about how humans and merfolk were different. Yuuri was having fun looking at Victor’s fingers and trying to compare them with his own. Unlike Victor, his were slightly webbed like they beloged to a frog. His fingernails were also softer and he didn’t have many creases or lines on his palms. He felt terrible when he saw some of Victor’s bruises from falling on the ice as well as a cut he received from walking around on the sand. He had been walking barefoot and had not seen the shard of glass that was sticking out. It was fortunate that his cut was shallow. If it had gotten stuck in his foot, that would have been a disaster. Not only would he be in pain, Yakov would be infuriated at him. He would be angry that Victor walked around the sand without his shoes. 

“I can’t believe a human throw their garbage out there.” Yuuri shook his head when he saw the cut. The wound had left a tiny scar on the botton of Victor’s heel. “Could you imagine if a smaller human had stepped on it?”

“It would be much worse.” Victor agreed. The pain he felt had been terrible but it wasn’t going to end his skating career. All he had to do was rest a few days and he would be back on the ice in no time. That was the easy part. The hard part was the boredom he felt. He was jealous of everyone else going out on ice because he wanted to join them. However, under Yakov and doctor’s orders, he had to stay in place.

“If you injure yourself out there, I will never let you skate again!” Yakov threatened him. Not that the threat would do good; Victor find a way to skate. “For once in your life, listen to me. It’s only a few days. You will be fine.”

He was fine but it was hard to find other ways to spend time. As a result, he went to the beach and sat on the rocks while talking to Yuuri. They had found several spots where they could meet up and have conversations without other people coming around. These were quiet areas where they could spend hours with each other. While there, Yuuri would tell him about the things he had seen underwater and Victor would talk about how things were going on land. 

The one thing Yuuri struggled with believing was that people could skate on ice. He trusted Victor but he couldn’t picture this happening. He couldn’t see people moving around on ice because he knew how cold and hard it was. He had felt it before and it slipped through his hands. “You mean to tell me it’s possible for humans to move on ice? And that you do that as well?”

“Not just move. Look!” Victor had pictures and videos on his phone of his routines. “This is me at last year’s World Championships.”

Yuuri watched the video and his eyes widened at the sight of Victor’s quad flip. “That’s impossible!”

“It’s not. It takes a while to pull it off but it can be done. Look, here’s one of me doing a quad lutz.” He pointed to the move and Yuuri stared at it with amazement. “It took time for me to learn that but now it’s pretty easy.”

“It doesn’t look very easy at all.” Yuuri murmured, looking at Victor’s face on the video. “You seem so happy there and at the same time, you also look sad. I don’t understand because you just won.”

“What made you think I’m sad for winning?”

“Not for winning. I was sad for other reasons. It’s complicated.” 

Victor didn’t know if it was time to explain to Yuuri why he had been sad. Yes, he had won and that was a reason to celebrate. There were people who were chanting his name and praising him to the high heavens. He was their hero and the one everyone aspired to be like. To them, he had everything. They just didn’t understand the turmoil inside. Being a champion had its high points but it was also one of the worst places to be. There was no one to talk to about his issues. Sure, he could try talking to his coach or some of his rinkmates but they wouldn’t be able to help him out. This was something he had to fight on his own and he didn’t know how.

“I would think that winning would make you happy.” Yuuri said. “Everyone seems to love you. However, I’m guessing you were upset over something else. It had nothing to do with these people cheering for you. Did you not want to skate on the ice?”

“No, I loved it! But…” Victor trailed off, unsure how to finish this sentence. It had been a long time since he told another human being about how he felt, let alone a merman. “Why did you save me?” 

Yuuri was confused. “Why shouldn’t I save you? When you fell into that water, I thought it was an accident. I thought you must have fallen over. I’ve been told not to interact with humans so much but I couldn’t help it. It just didn’t seem fair to leave you there. I thought you knew that was why I saved you.” Slowly, he began to understand what Victor was getting at. “It wasn’t an accident, was it? You meant to jump into the water.”

Victor nodded. “I was lost. I didn’t know where else to go. The fame is good only for a certain time. I’m surrounded by a lot of people who loved me but didn’t know me. They supported me as a skater, not a person. It got to a point where I couldn’t take it.”

“So you jumped on purpose.” Yuuri realized. “Did you have any idea how deep that water was?”

“I knew it was deep and cold. That was it.”

There was an awkward silence between them as Yuuri tried to understand this. He didn’t get why Victor wanted to jump on purpose. It didn’t seem like a smart decision to jump into a deep, cold ocean. Then he thought about what Victor said and how sad he felt. There was still a lot of pain in his eyes. Something out there was still hurting him. Whatever it was, it meant one thing; the human world wasn’t safe at all.

Suddenly, Yuuri had an idea. It wasn’t something that he thought of before but it sounded good to him. Victor was unhappy on land but he seemed to be more excited around water. It didn’t matter if the water was solid or liquid, he found happiness there. It would be better if Victor lived in the ocean with him. There would be no pain and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Yuuri would be there to show him what to do and protect him if he needed it. 

“Have you ever thought about being a merman?” 

Victor nearly topped into the water when he heard that question. “A...a what?”

“A merman. Just like me.” Yuuri waved his tail around to show off, splashing some of the water. “Think about it. We could spend more time together. Whatever is bothering you on the land wouldn’t bother you anymore. I think you would be a great merman.”

“You do?” Victor looked down at his feet and tried to imagine them as a giant fishtail. Sure, he would be able to swim and breathe underwater but was this what he wanted? He looked at Yuuri who seemed to be excited by this idea. “I don’t know if that’s possible, Yuuri. I’m a human.”

“There’s a way.” Yuuri pointed out. “Trust me. There are ways for humans to turn into merfolk. If this is what you want, then I can help you become one. Maybe you won’t be so sad anymore.”

The idea sounded good to him but Victor was having second thoughts. He kept looking down at his toes and wondering what it would be like without them. He didn’t know how it would feel not to walk, run, or skate again. He would never be able to see his friends, family, or other competitors. There were things he would miss doing such as taking Makkachin out on walks, traveling around the world, or dining at his favorite places. As sad as he felt sometimes, becoming a merman wouldn’t solve everything.

“I...I don’t know.” He finally replied. “I know you’re trying to help, Yuuri, but maybe this isn’t a good idea. If I became a merman, I can’t do the things I love on land. I would miss the other people up here. I would miss Makkachin. I…” He saw that Yuuri’s face was falling and he knew he was disappointing him. However, Yuuri had asked him something that needed a lot of thought. “Can I come back to you on that? I don’t know if I can say yes to being a merman. It’s a lot to think about.”

“Aren’t you unhappy on land?”

“No, it’s that...it’s complicated.” Victor murmured. He felt bad for hurting Yuuri’s feelings but he did need time. “I have to go now. It’s almost sunset.”

“So soon? You just got here only a few minutes ago.” The sun was setting but Yuuri could tell this wasn’t the reason. “Please don’t go! I was only trying to help!”

“I know you were.” Victor whispered, squeezing Yuuri’s hand to show that he wasn’t angry about this. “I just need more time to think about it. I promise I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll be back here same time and place.”

“Are you telling me the truth?”

“I have no reason to lie to you. I will think about what you said though and I will make a decision. It may not be now but eventually. You’ll know.” 

He didn’t know what convinced him to pull off this next move but it felt like he wasn’t in his own body at that moment. Yuuri was inches from his face and he couldn’t help staring at him. This beautiful creature, an angel in the ocean, was the reason he was alive. He owed him a lot and had never repaid him for this. Slowly, he leaned in and found his lips pressed against the side of Yuuri’s face. Before he knew what he was doing, he had kissed Yuuri on the cheek. 

“Until tomorrow.” He whispered. 

“Ahh…” Yuuri had no idea what to say to that and he never got the chance to finish his sentence. When Victor had leaned in, he leaned too close. It was so far that he started to slip from the rock that he was sitting on. He was able to get that kiss but unable to steady himself. By the time he realized it, it was too late.

He slipped and fell into the water, straight into Yuuri’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what you think and come yell at me on tumblr @ fallsintograce. (Or come to ogle at all the YOI, Pokemon, sea creatures, and random other stuff I post XD )


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And finally, conflict arrives...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally had time to work on this fic! I apologize for the slowness. Personal and emotional issues have been getting in the way. Now that we've gotten past the first hurdle, I'm about to introduce the next big hurdles. It might seem like things are moving slowly but I assure you that they will pick up. I have missed writing YOI for a bit and I will try to get back into updating all the other fics soon. One of my stories is almost done so that will give me time to work on the rest.
> 
> Also, this chapter is dedicated to postingpebbles aka Ollie who has a birthday! Happy birthday, Olliepop! Stay gold and pure!
> 
> ETA: Edited to fix something because I'm blind and can't read my own work sometimes!

Before he had met Yuuri, Victor felt that there was a hole inside of him and that nothing could fill it up. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many competitions he won, that hole seemed to get bigger. It was a darkness that was going to eat him up if he didn’t do something about it. Everyone saw it. They saw that he was not all right, no matter what he claimed. He could fake it in front of the cameras and journalists but those who knew him were wiser. They saw that it was all a show. Even Makkachin, the only source of comfort that he had, wasn’t enough to chase away those demons that kept haunting him. 

For many nights, when he was at his lowest, he would find himself in bed and Makkachin would come up to him to give him some love. She would lick his face and bury herself into his arms. It was a nice feeling but it wasn’t enough. Makkachin could love him and make him feel special but she could not take away that hole in his life. He did not know what it was that made him so sad. It seemed to come out of nowhere and it just kept building up over the years. Right before he chose to jump into the ocean, he had the whole thing planned out. He had plans on what his last meal would be like, what he would say to those who were closest to him, the moment he would give Makkachin her final walk, and how he would get to that edge. That night had been a strange one for all of them. Mila, Georgi, and Yuri had noticed things weren’t right but they were unable to say a thing. They didn’t know what they could say. It was fine though because he had said enough to them. If he said more, they would try to convince him to stay. They would want him to save himself and tell him he had a lot to live for. 

The cold waters of that ocean didn’t take him down quickly. There had been a part of him that had changed his mind and wanted to swim for shore. He wanted to kick his feet and cut through the waves so he could apologize to the others. However, the water was a lot stronger than he was. His mind switched from wanting to save himself to wanting to drown. It all would have been fine if Yuuri had not been there. Yuuri, with his beautiful blue-green tail and scales up and down his body, had found him and brought him back to life. Yuuri gave him hope and love that he had been missing for a long time. 

When he fell into the water, Yuuri was quick to bring him back to the surface and give him a hug. He made sure that he was safe on the land and made him promise to be careful around the waves. As of late, winds had picked up and the water was crashing hard on the rocks and sand. They had to be careful with their meetings and make sure that no one was paying attention. Victor wasn’t ready to tell everyone about Yuuri nor was Yuuri ready to tell all his friends about Victor. They didn’t know what they were to each other despite all the time they spent. 

The day he saved Victor from death seemed like it was a long time ago. Now here they were in the ocean together with Yuuri showing off all the things he had collected from humans over the years. He had a little cove hidden from view and Victor was the first human to see it. This was where Yuuri wanted to keep his toys and dream about the human world. He knew how some of the things worked but others were a little more confusing for him. That’s why he showed them to Victor in hopes he’d understand.

“I think these are things that humans wear.” He had said, showing off a bracelet that he put on his wrist. “They’re nice but I don’t think they do very much. They’re probably there for people to look at and admire. Am I right?” 

Victor nodded and took a better look at the things that Yuuri had found. It turned out that people did love to dump their junk into the waters and far too many fish and sea creatures were caught in them. Rather than cutting up the soda can plastic rings or bags, Yuuri kept them as a collection. He also managed to find jewelry from various people. There were so many necklaces, watches, bracelets, earrings, and rings that had been cast aside. A lot of it was fake jewelry but some of it had been made with real gold and silver and embedded with real jewels. No doubt some of the things in Yuuri’s collection could be worth a fortune.

There was one particular piece that stood out over the others. Unlike the other pieces of jewelry, this one was much smaller and not meant to be worn by a human being. It was a dog collar that was studded with diamonds and rubies. The collar could not be worn by a dog as big as Makkachin but it had belonged to someone. He could still see the name on it.

“Some human named Buster is the one who left this here.” Yuuri explained. “I have no idea why any human would be named that.”

My poor Yuuri, that doesn’t belong to a human. A dog wore this! Victor wanted to tell him. Instead, he had to motion that he needed to break the surface and speak to him in person. It would be better that way.

“Oh, you need human air?” Yuuri asked, realizing what Victor meant by the hand signals. “All right, we can go up. There is so much more I would like to ask you too. In fact, there’s a very big question I want to ask you and something I would like to give you. It will keep you safe.”

That was an odd thing to say but Victor didn’t mind. Slowly, the two of them made their way to the top and Victor was allowed to take a big gulp of the air above. It was fun being down in the water but breathing from a tank of air was hard. Seeing the blue sky above and taking in the saltiness here was better. Yuuri waited until Victor was relaxed and calm before speaking.

“Are you all right now?” 

“I’m fine, Yuuri. Thank you.” He looked at the water all around him. It was cold just like the water from that night. “It feels better to speak to you like this.”

“I thought so. Anyway, I wanted to know something. It’s a question I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time but I was scared. After all, you are a human and I’m not. I wish I could spend more hours with you. I want to be able to walk with you and see the human world like you do. You’ve taught me a lot about it already. For one, I know now that a spoon is used to eat and not dig things up with. I learned that earrings are jewelry that people wear on their ears. You can’t use them to stick things to something.”

“That’s right.” Victor still could remember that one day when Yuuri was trying to stick something onto a rock using an earring. Had he kept pushing down on it, he would have broken that poor earring and wouldn’t know what he had done wrong. Victor showed him how dull the ends of an earring were and it all made sense at that point. Yuuri felt silly when he understood it. “I know you’ve never had a human friend before so I can understand why you didn’t know this.”

“I’m glad we’re friends but I want to be more.” Yuuri admitted.

“More?”

“I want to be able to more time with you.” He corrected himself, realizing how that line could be misinterpreted. “I want to be able to swim every corner of the ocean with you! In fact, I wish I could turn you into a merman. It would be nice. You wouldn’t have to worry about breathing the air above because you could live down here with me! You’d be like the fishes here! You would swim with me and we could meet all my family and friends! Think about it. You could be a merman for the rest of your life.”

Victor’s face fell at that. Being merman did sound like a fun but it would be fun for a day. It was not something he had ever wanted to be. “Yuuri, I love spending time with you but...I’m not a merman. I have a life on the land.”

“Oh, I know. That skating on ice...what is it that you do? It’s called ice skating or something.” Yuuri asked. “That is your life, isn’t it? That’s what people do; they watch you move on ice.”

“In a way, yes, that’s what they do.” Victor was not sure how else he could explain this. “Ice skating is a part of my life but it’s not all of it. I have others that need me. I have a friends on the land too. I could be a merman for a day but that’s as long as I’d like to stay down here.”

“So you don’t want to live with me?”

“I didn’t mean that! I…” Victor looked down at his hands. He never wanted to upset Yuuri but he needed him to understand what he was saying. “Even if you did find a way to change me into a merman, it’s not something I’d want. I love being down here with you but I was never meant to be down here. I was meant to live on the land and be with the people on land. Besides, there has to be another way where we can spend more time together. If a human can become a merman, couldn’t a merman become a human?”

Yuuri had not thought of that before but he wasn’t keen on the idea. “I’ve heard about the humans on land and not all of them are like you. They throw so much of their garbage into the water. They pollute everything and they don’t care what they are destroying. While I do believe there are other good humans like you, I don’t know how to tell them apart. What if I ran into the wrong ones?”

“You wouldn’t. I would keep you from meeting the wrong person.” Victor took Yuuri’s hand and squeezed it. “I know you want me but we need to find a better. Something that does not involve turning me into a merman.”

“I want us to be together as well. In fact, there is something I’ve been thinking about. I’ve heard stories of it and I’ve seen humans do it but I want to try it with you. I feel like we should have done this many times before. That’s how people who are close to each other react.” Yuuri whispered. “They do something with their faces and they purse their lips together. Then they come close and…” He moved in close. “And I don’t know what happens next.”

“They kiss.” Victor finished for him, moving in closer. “Their lips touch and they kiss.”

“Kiss me, Victor. I want to know what that feels like now.”

Victor didn’t need to be told twice. His lips were already brushing against Yuuri’s right before the kiss. Neither was sure what had pushed them together but it was a force they couldn’t understand. They were drawn to each other and they kissed, feeling the saltiness from each other’s mouth. Yuuri closed his eyes briefly because he saw that Victor done that. Apparently, humans liked to kiss with their eyes closed. It had a been a quick peck but it was one that neither could forget. Victor pulled away gently while Yuuri tried to collect himself. It was like the air had been taken out of his body.

“That was a kiss, wasn't it?” He asked. “I remember that.”

“That’s a kiss.” 

“I feel like it should be longer. I think that kiss was meant to last longer.” Yuuri murmured. “Why did we stop?”

“Because…” Victor trailed off because he had no good reason. With the sun setting, he decided to use that as an excuse to leave. “I have to go, Yuuri. It’s getting dark.”

“That’s one thing you wouldn’t have to worry about if you were a merman; if it got dark, you wouldn’t have to leave the ocean.” Yuuri pointed out. “You could sleep down here where it would be safe for you.”

“That sounds nice but I have a home that I need to go to. Take care of yourself, Yuuri. I promise I will come visit you everyday, be it in the ocean or out of it. I will tell you all that I know about the human world.”

“Can we kiss again?”

“Next time, we can kiss for longer.”

“I will hold you to that promise then.” Yuuri said. “Next time, I want us to kiss longer like I see in some of the human pictures. Maybe we can do a little more. Most humans end up doing more than kissing.”

Victor wanted to ask what he meant by ‘a little more’ but he would hold off on that for another day. With the light disappearing, he wanted to get to his house before the night sky came out. He wanted to be able to get changed, take Makkachin out for a quick walk, and then settle down for the night. Nothing special was happening tonight but that was fine. He needed to think about his relationship with Yuuri. The sky was still light blue but it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Yuuri, however, wasn’t ready to let go of his hand. He held onto it and counted the fingers to make sure they were all strong and sturdy. 

“Yuuri, I have to leave.” He reminded, trying to break free of his grasp. “I can’t drag you onto the land with me.” 

“I know. Before you go though, I want to give you something.” Yuuri looked at his right ring finger and slipped something on it. “I found this in the ocean but I never knew which human left it here. My friend said it was a ring and people wore it on their fingers. Now if I’m wrong”, he pulled away to show Victor the simple gold band, “please tell me. I don’t know if this is too small or too big for you_”

“It is beautiful!” Victor exclaimed, looking at it and admiring the way it glimmered in the light. “Are you sure you want me to have this?”

“Of course. I was saving it for the day we met again.” Yuuri murmured. “I would have given it to you that night but…” He blushed. “I didn’t think it was the right time. You were so sad and I just wanted to get you back on shore.”

“You did the right thing. One day, I will repay the favor.” Victor touched the ring. “Now I really do have to go before it gets too dark.”

“Until next time.” Yuuri took Victor’s other hand and kissed it. “I’ve heard that humans kiss on more than just the lips. I liked the one on the lips but maybe we can try more. Although I’m not sure I want to try what they call ‘kissing ass’ or whatever it is.”

Victor tried hard not to laught at that. ‘Kissing ass’ was something he’d have to explain for another time. They said their goodbyes more before Victor made his way to the shore and walked away from Yuuri. It was hard to see him go now because Yuuri wanted to run after him. He wanted to sprout legs at that moment, chase after Victor, and tackle him onto the sand where he could cover him with more kisses. He wanted to be able to kiss every part that Victor had and make him feel less lonely. That was what he could sense in him; Victor was lonely despite having people around him. He had talked about having friends and people on land but that was all they were. None of them knew the real Victor. 

_That must be the worst feeling in the world._ Yuuri thought, going back to the night when Victor fell into the water. He didn’t know what he was doing before then because his eyes were on that silver-haired human who clearly wanted to live. He had tried kicking his feet but either he was too tired to so or wasn’t strong to make it to the surface. He needed help. 

Still, even after talking to Victor and knowing his name, Yuuri sensed there was a lot Victor was not telling him. He could see that there was still a sadness deep inside and he couldn’t pull himself out of that depression. The stories about skating on ice made it sound more like something he was forced to do, not something he wanted to do. In the beginning, it might have been something he loved but now he was missing that love. He was missing the things that made him feel like himself. Yuuri could see some happiness in those eyes but Victor didn’t have everything he wanted. The land that he belonged to couldn’t give him what he needed. 

_Being a merman would give you the happiness you wanted. I see why you are hesitant but I can’t see how the land treats you better. You’re always sad until you come to see me._

He was forming many plans in his head but he didn’t know if Victor would be all right with them. They needed to discuss everything before pulling anything off. This was going to be something no one had heard of before; a merman uniting with a human. He also knew that getting support on both sides would be difficult. 

_At least not many people know about us. I hope it stays that way._

“Well, I thought he would never leave!” A familiar voice spoke from behind. Yuuri felt sick to his stomach when heard that. The one merman he didn't want to run into had been here the whole time. He had seen it all. It was a voice he didn’t want to hear from because now his secret would be revealed to all. Someone knew his hiding place. “So this is where you’ve been running of to, Yuuri. This is your dirty little secret. You’ve been rubbing your elbows with some human piece of trash. I expected far better from you but I was wrong. You seem to have feelings for that creature.”

“You will stay away from him.” Yuuri whispered. “He is no concern of yours.” 

 

“I don’t intend to get close to human scum.” The voice went on. “And if you are smart as you appear, you’d be wise to leave him forever. If not, it could be the biggest regret of your life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, who could this mystery merman be? ~_^ And what could they possibly want?
> 
> Come find me and tell me your thoughts here or on tumblr: [fallsintograce](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's short but we're just starting. I promise the next couple of chapters will get longer and we'll meet more people along the way. I'll try to update weekly if I can or as fast as I can. I'm free now for the rest of the year so between this and writing two other fics, I should be okay. 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr for updates or just to talk about stuff! [fallsintograce](http://fallsintograce.tumblr.com)


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